The Loutolim gram sabha on Sunday de livered a strong message to authorities as villagers condemned the Invest ment Promotion Board (IPB) for granting clear ances to projects within the panchayat’s jurisdic tion without consulting or involving the local body. In a meeting marked by intense discussions, residents also firmly op posed coal transportation through Goa and rejected the proposed new Borim bridge, warning that such projects threaten the en vironment and traditional agricultural lands. Chaired by Sarpanch Raylon Fernandes, the gram sabha passed multi ple resolutions reflecting widespread frustration over decisions taken at higher levels of govern ance without grassroots consent. One of the major resolu tions included the demand to revoke the NOC earlier issued for the controver sial cricket stadium pro ject within Loutolim lim its. Villagers argued that large-scale constructions of this kind were being in troduced under the guise of development while ig noring the ecological and social costs. Members expressed outrage at the manner in which the IPB operates, alleging that it routine ly issues clearances with little regard for local sen timent or environmental concerns. Villagers assert ed that bypassing the local panchayat undermines the very purpose of decentral ized governance. Speaking during the meeting, gram sabha member Xavier Fernandes warned that coal trans portation would have dis astrous consequences for Goa’s environment. “Coal transportation will certainly destroy the environment. The people of Goa do not want their land, air, and rivers pol luted while somebody else benefits at their expense,” he said. He added that citizens are determined to protect Goa’s natural beauty from projects that threaten eco logical balance. Sarpanch Raylon Fer nandes informed resi dents that the panchayat will be formally writing to the IPB to question the approvals granted within Loutolim without any con sultation. “It has been resolved to revoke the permission given to the concerned cricket stadium project. We have also opposed the proposed new Borim bridge, which will lead to the destruction of khazan land and severely impact agricultural activities,” he said. Villagers reiterated that the proposed Borim bridge poses a serious threat to the traditional khazan ecosystem, a cen turies-old reclaimed agri cultural landscape unique to Goa. They argued that such ecologically sensitive areas cannot be sacrificed for infrastructure projects that offer minimal to no benefit to local communi ties
Loutolim Gram Sabha Slams IPB Clearances; Villagers Oppose Coal Transport and Borim Bridge Plan
