MARGAO: In response to protests from Loliem villagers, the Loliem-Polem village panchayat has decided to cancel the initially scheduled Gram Sabha meeting on Sunday. The meeting, which was set for February 4 at 10 am, conflicted with the crucial General Body Meeting of the Loliem Comunidade scheduled for 10.30 am on the same day.
The Comunidade’s General Body Meeting is slated to discuss the preliminary approval of the Entertainment Society of Goa’s (ESG) request for a 99-year lease on 250 acres of the Bhagwati plateau for the proposed Film City. Additionally, the Comunidade will consider granting approval for a Wind Hybrid Park on 494 acres to WAPCOS Limited, a government of India undertaking.
Local opposition to these development projects on the eco-sensitive Bhagwati Plateau prompted the request for the Gram Sabha’s postponement. Residents expressed suspicions about hidden motives behind simultaneous meetings at two separate locations.
Om Prabhugaonkar, a Loliem Comunidade member and villager, questioned the feasibility of attending both meetings on the same day, considering the conflict in locations involving over 130 Comunidade components and Gram Sabha members
Protest grows in Canacona as residents petition against Film City and Hybrid Park projects
MARGAO: Residents of Canacona taluka are mobilising against the Loliem-Polem Comunidade’s proposal for the Film City Project and Hybrid Park on the Bhagwati plateau, preparing two signature petitions to voice their opposition.
The petitions, addressed to the President of the Loliem Comunidade, Goa Governor, Chief Minister and several other central and State Ministers, demand the immediate revocation of all permissions granted for the Film City and the abandonment of proposals to use eco-sensitive village plateau land for non-traditional uses.
Supported by Loliem Comunidade members and the Loliem citizen committee, the villagers argue that the proposal is against public interest and poses a severe threat to the environment, local communities, and future generations. They stress the need to preserve community rights to the economic and social uses of these lands. The petitions underline the crucial role played by the plateaus of Canacona in providing water resources, pasture lands, agricultural resources, and forest lands essential for economic activities such as farming and cattle raising.
Furthermore, the Film City is proposed on a highly eco-sensitive plateau extending to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, home to bison and other wildlife, and harbouring rare, undiscovered, and endangered species of flora and fauna. Environmental enthusiasts have highlighted the Bhagwati plateau’s diverse flora, including colourful flowers, insectivorous plants and wild grasses, enhancing aesthetics and ecological importance. Expressing concern, the residents warn that the proposed Film City would encroach upon a plateau recognized by the Union
Ministry of Environment as unique habitats of the
Western Ghats requiring conservation.
The petitions conclude by warning that failure to comply with these demands will prompt residents to take necessary measures to protect villages from any plans to usurp village common lands or destroy plateaus.
