Team Herald
MARGAO: Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco has expressed his disappointment with the invocation of Railways Act 1989 to enable compulsory and forceful land acquisition for the South Western Railways’ (SWR) Hospet- Hubbali –Tinaighat- Vasco Double Tracking Project in Goa.
He has requested the Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and State Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to scrap the double tracking of SWR Hospet -Hubbali –Tinaighat- Vasco double tracking project in Goa in toto.
Reginaldo said he has learnt from the media reports that a notification to this effect has been issued by the Ministry of Railways notified in an extraordinary Gazette of India, paving the way for Central Government to bulldoze any opposition from the public to acquire the land under Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act. The Deputy Collector and Sub Division Officer Mormugao in charge of land acquisition have been designated as the competent authorities for the purpose of land acquisition for South Western Railway project as per the said notification.
“The invoking of Railways Act 1989 in Goa is draconian in nature whose only goal is to grab and destroy the priceless land of Goenkars in the name of so-called development. The double-tracking is part of the nefarious design to convert Goa into a coal hub and transportation corridor to benefit big corporates/big industrialists via Mormugao Port”, he alleged.
Reginaldo has appealed to the Ministers that the SWR Hospet -Hubbali –Tinaighat- Vasco double tracking project in Goa be scrapped in toto. “If you consider this proposal for doing away with SWR double tracking in Goa, Goenkars will bless you” he said.
Reginaldo informed that the Ministry of Railway has set March 21, 2021 as the tentative target to make the Margao-Sanvordem double track route operational. Thereby making the partial Goa stretch the first to be functional along the route of Hospet -Hubbali –Tinaighat- Vasco Double Tracking Project in Goa.
“Goenkars (Goans) and especially those residing in the areas from where the SWR route passes have vehemently opposed the double tracking as it would further lead to unimaginable destruction to the ecology and to the heritage of our villages. At the beginning of 2020, the SWR Manager Ajay Kumar Singh had used unwarranted and baseless term “Portuguese” on my colleague Alina Saldanha (MLA – Cortalim) and the locals of Cansaulim village as these people were opposing the double tracking of SWR project. The gram sabhas of almost all villages in Goa have opposed the double-tracking project,” Reginaldo reminded.
He alleged that the Railways Act 1989 has been invoked to bulldoze the overwhelming opinion of public of Goa, who have been against the double tracking project of SWR. The intention of the Union Government through this black notification is to make people of Goa submissive so they are no more in position to challenge the acquisition of their land for the aforesaid project. At the most they would be paid meagre compensation to silence their mouth,” Reginaldo charged.
