Team Herald
VALPOI: Demanding that the government shift the IIT project somewhere else in Goa, Shel Melauli locals on Sunday said that the project will affect their livelihood and destroy their agriculture, rivers, springs and the forest in the village.
The villagers held a mega meeting against the IIT project near the Jalmi Temple premises in Melauli. Almost 500 locals attended the meeting by maintaining social distancing.
The locals said they are staying in Melauli since ages and their ancestors have taken the care of the government land, where the IIT project is coming up. The villagers are staying in Guleli panchayat area that is on government land for the past many decades.
The villagers demanded that the government give them the ownership of the land where they are residing at present, but claimed that the government is not ready.
They claimed that the government is coming up with the IIT project on the land which they are residing and having their cashew plantations and growing other agriculture crops on it.
The villagers claimed that since 1972 they have been requesting the taluka MLAs to solve their land issue problem and have also been demanding that they be given the ownership of this land. The local MLAs are not bothered to solve the land issue of Melauli villagers. For the past 50 years, the MLAs are only providing them with only promises.
They further claimed that the IIT project will affect five villages namely Shel Melauli, Maigine, Murmune, Dhada and Guleli.
In letters addressed to all 40 MLAs, they have called upon the legislators to raise the Melauli IIT project issue in Assembly and shift the same out of the village.
