MARGAO: Cortalim independent MLA Antonio Vas has come in for severe criticism from the protesting villagers of Cansaulim, Arossim, Cuelim and Velsao-Pale-Issorcim for his stoic silence in the legislative assembly over the rail double-tracking work that is still under way in private and public properties in these villages.
They also accused him of not taking up the issues of coal transportation and the three linear projects in the House and said that both Vas and the state government had betrayed their trust and had indirectly emboldened the railway contractors to continue to harass local residents.
Livid upon finding construction material dumped at the Cansaulim level crossing on Wednesday, just about 200 meters away from Arossim’s historic St Lawrence Chapel, the villagers are now contemplating moving court again.
“The Railways does not own land here. It appears to be private or public land alongside the existing tracks,” one of the locals said.
The NGO GoenchoEkvott (GE), which has been helping the villagers in their battle against the double-tracking project over the last two months, said it will first consult the villagers and take them into confidence before initiating any action.
Elsewhere, in Velsao, although the panchayat had taken the Railways to the high court over the same issue, concerns have been raised over whether the Railways is taking advantage of the fact that there is no governing panchayat body until the elections are held next month.
“The residents of Velsao were lucky in the sense that their panchayat members couldn’t be purchased like a commodity. Imagine a local panchayat taking on a giant like the Railways (in court)! This can be deemed as a victory in itself, irrespective of the final verdict. It is important that the subsequent panchayat body echoes the views of the previous one,” said GE founder member, Orville Dourado Rodrigues.
Touching on the issue of scattered coal pieces contaminating the groundwater during the rains, Rodrigues said GE is in the process of engaging qualified and recognised private agencies to investigate and provide substantial data in this regard as it has “no faith in agencies or departments ‘managed’ by the government”.
