MARGAO: On behalf of the agitating farmers in Loutolim, a group of villagers met Goa Forward Party (GFP) Chief Vijai Sardesai on Friday evening to voice their concerns about the proposed alignment of the new Borim Bridge. The delegation feared the current plan would damage local khazan agricultural fields and on this point, they received an assurance from Sardesai that he would strongly oppose the current alignment and also raise it in the upcoming Assembly session.
They also agreed to a site inspection on Tuesday evening to better understand the situation and its potential impact on the community as well. The farmers briefed Sardesai on the seven alignment options and the importance of preserving khazans for farming and fish cultivation.
“We explained that the plan to acquire a 60-metre road in our small village is excessive, in view of the current traffic flow. We shared how the MLA & Minister Aleixo Sequeira is insisting on this width, claiming a six-lane road is the need of the hour. Vijai, however, countered that a much narrower road would suffice, arguing against such an ambitious project that would cause widespread destruction,” said the farmers after the meeting.
Speaking to the media after the event, Sardesai first criticised the way the government and the PWD has gone about the land acquisition process and questioned the contradictory approaches being taken by the government, wherein on one hand they want to increase land coming under cultivation and on the other are okay with destroying vast, eco-sensitive khazan fields.
The Opposition MLA claimed the government’s underlying motive for the alignment chosen was to facilitate smoother transportation of coal. He questioned if this was the reason the government was pushing for such a wide approach road which is more than double the size of the existing approach road to the Bridge. “The farmers are not opposing a new bridge but any local development must be done with the consent of the people – not imposed on them,” he said.
Sardesai also gave the example of how the PWD ignored the pleas of the Benaulim locals for constructing the western bypass on stilts and now there is flooding not only in Benaulim but even in Fatorda, as water is not flowing out into the sea, but backwards into the fields.
