Team Herald
MARGAO: The assurances by South Western Railway (SWR) officials and the Cortalim MLA Anton Vas that no houses will be affected as the double tracks would be laid on to the eastern side of Velsao and Cansaulim villages have drawn flak from several people including the constituents, who have termed them as “eyewash” to fool and confuse the villagers opposed to coal transportation.
Clarifying that she was not present at the meeting held on Monday with the Railway officials, Velsao-Pale-Issorcim Sarpanch, Maria Diana Gouveia told O Heraldo that she was not informed about the same.
When questioned if she was satisfied with the assurance, Gouveia said that the villagers need to see the technical order first and the Railways’ plans.
“Meeting a few villagers does not mean that issues of Velsao locals are resolved. There are a lot of issues that people are going to face. Due to double tracking, there will be more noise pollution, more coal dust pollution and more vibrations,” she said.
Gouveia lamented that for a long time the Velsao locals have been bullied when they asked the Railways to show their documents or when the landowners concerned tried to show their ownership documents. Thus it was important that the panchayat at least gets a copy of the Railways’ plans as the people visit the panchayat to enquire about what is happening.
Goencho Ekvott (GE) founder Orville Dourado Rodrigues criticised the MLA’s statements and the actions of South Western Railway (SWR) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).
“The grandstanding by the MLA of Cortalim during his site visit and the subsequent claim by his cronies that he has resolved the issue of the residents of Cansaulim and Velsao is an eyewash to fool and confuse our villagers who are steadfast in their opposition to coal transportation and double tracking through thickly populated settlement areas and fertile farmlands,” Rodrigues said.
“Merely re-aligning the proposed route from the west to the east of the existing track will not solve the problem. There is collateral damage not only to those residences adjacent to the existing single track, but also to the numerous ones all along the existing rail route. The grave issue of our health caused by the coal dust and the noise pollution is causing misery to the residents, most of whom are having to live their sunset years with pulmonary, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, insomnia, blood pressure and other ailments to name a few,” Rodrigues added.
“We the residents demand that our MLA come clean whether the coal will be banished from our villages just like a magic wand or are we going to choke with the exponential increase to 51.2 million metric tonnes of coal via the rail from the current 09 – 12 million metric tonnes if the double tracking does see the light of the day?” Rodrigues questioned.
Rodrigues said, “Apart from that, the land of the villagers on the eastern side has been encroached by SWR/RVNL and barricades put up by landowners have been taken down in broad daylight in connivance of the local police and the administration. Landowners are instructed to prove ownership of their ancestral land while the encroacher RVNL hacks away at the green cover, the nullahs and the tributary of the River Sal! How much worse can this get?”
Ella Mascarenhas from Arrosim, who has been very active in the protests against double tracking in Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim, said, “I feel our MLA has been misguided by some miscreants for personal gains. Residents of Arossim, Cansaulim, Velsao, Issorcim and other surrounding villages have been opposing double tracking since 2016. Our panchayats have taken several gram sabha resolutions against double tracking and coal transportation. It was shocking to hear our MLA speak in support of RVNL which has destroyed the topography of our villages all along the tracks.”
“Goencho Ekvott has been in the forefront, helping and supporting those landowners to fight their battle against forceful land acquisition by filing objections against land acquisitions, ferrying them to government offices, educating people against harmful effects of coal on their health, livelihood and environment, involving representatives of the people to argue on their behalf in the Assembly. The group with the support of villagers have managed to keep double tracking on hold,” she added.
“We have no issues with him asking Railways to provide overpasses and underpasses. People are crossing under the parked rakes endangering their lives. It should be a priority but with proper discussions and studies on all aspects,” Mascarenhas added.
It may be recalled that the SWR officials and MLA Vas assured the locals of Velsao and Cansaulim during an inspection of the sites proposed for construction of an underpass at Cansaulim on Monday.
After inspection, the railway officials said that the tracks will now be laid on the eastern side of the villages so as to save the houses which would have been affected or razed as per the present alignment.
They said that MLA Vas informed them about the objections raised by the villagers and provided his suggestions to resolve the ongoing tussle.
“We are examining these suggestions and considering sites for construction of an underpass at Cansaulim,” a railway official had said.
“The railway officials have assured me that they would try to align the tracks and shift them on the eastern side of the village so that no houses are affected. Minimum three houses situated along the tracks would be saved if the double track is aligned,” said Vas.
