PANJIM: The special gram sabha of Neura Panchayat on Sunday opposed the proposed 25-metre Major District Road (MDR) from Pilar to Old Goa claiming that it will destroy houses of several villagers besides temples, chapels, heritage sites and thousands of age-old trees.
The resolution was backed by St Andre MLA Francis Silveira. The villagers said that the MLA objected to the proposal to provide an alternative MDR through the hillside – existing Rajbhir Road – as it would destroy all orchards and only serve the builders’ lobby and not the common man.
According to him, the best alternative was to explore the road parallel to the Konkan Railway. Silveira also said he would let the experts decide, though he would strongly object to a road on the hillside.
The MLA has assured to take forward the proposal to de-notify the proposed MDR and notify it as village road.
The gram sabha has further authorised the Save Neura Forum to work with the Neura Panchayat to pursue the proposal with the government authorities and revert back to village road of 6-8 metres where feasible and alternatives MDR proposals may be considered on the hill side or parallel to Konkan Railway.
Amilcar Alvares, president of Save Neura Forum during the meeting appealed to the people to rally against this MDR proposal as this project would not only destroy a few houses and religious shrines along the road but it would destroy the entire village.
He also appealed to keep political affiliations aside and work together with the elected representatives of the ruling party to prevail upon the government to denotify the MDR road to village road.
Alvares added that failure on the part of the government to de-notify the road from MDR to village road would mean that all villagers from Agassaim, Goa Velha, Neura, Azossim, Mandur and Carambolim will be forced to agitate against the proposal.
Viresh Borkar, member of Revolutionary Goans urged against any such highways through the village and threatened to agitate if the government pursues the project.
The gram sabha also took another resolution authorising the panchayat to constitute a Heritage Committee to list heritage sites situated in Neura besides houses, temples, sacred trees and sites, chapels. The villagers decided to send a proposal to the Conservation Committee of the Town and Country Planning Department to include these identified structures and trees in conservation list under the Goa (Regulation of Land Development and Building Construction) Act, 2008.
In yet another resolution, the Neura Panchayat Bio-Diversity Committee will prepare a report to conduct inventory of all the trees — fruit-bearing, forest species, sacred trees affected in Neura by the proposed Pilar- Old Goa MDR.
