Team Herald
VASCO: Competent authority appointed for the land acquisition process for the Railway Double Tracking, the Deputy Collector, Mormugao has passed an ex parte order for the land acquisition process.
This was done even though a legal team representing the people who raised objections and NGOs gave an advance written request expressing their inability to attend the personal hearings since almost all the landowners, tenants and the lawyers representing them are senior citizens and therefore did not want to take the grave risk to their health in a pandemic which has claimed over 2,000 lives by then in Goa.
The affected people and social groups from the coastal belts of South Goa unhappy over the disposing off of the land acquisition matter for the purpose of doubling of railway track during the State curfew period bulldozing the objections raised by the people. There were more than 2,800 objections in the Goa stretch of the South Western Railway expansion alone
Sherwyn Correia, Vasco based law student and anti-coal pollution activist in his comment stated that “I am shocked and dismayed at the clandestine and surreptitious manner in which the objections to the land acquisition for SWR line doubling were dealt with by the Mormugao Deputy Collector. The State was under curfew and there was absolutely no urgency in the cases that were pending for over a year. Yet the objections were dismissed in absence of and without giving opportunity of hearing to the affected parties. It strengthens my belief that the so-called State-wide curfew was declared only to facilitate such illegalities. It is crystal clear that the conversion of Goa into a coal transportation corridor is well underway.
Olecio Simoes, social activist from Cansaulim in his comment stated that the recent order issued by the Deputy Collector of Mormugao, stands biased and arbitrary in nature. Abiding by the law is his duty as a Deputy Collector of Mormugao. Instead of controlling the COVID situation, the Collector was rather busy conducting hearings even during the curfew, which clearly shows his intention.
Captain Viriato Fernandes of Goencho Avaaz Party said, “In a shocking move, the LAO who is also the Deputy Collector of Mormugao disposed off the cases related to land acquisition for double tracking on May 19, 2021, when the whole State was reeling under the destruction brought by Cyclone Tauktae. There was neither power nor water for days and the litigants, who are all very elderly, were informed on May 18, 2021 via WhatsApp to be present for the hearing on May 19, at 11:45. The LAO shockingly disregarded the danger of COVID affecting the elderly litigants. Goencho Avaaz will challenge this undemocratic act of the government and continue our fight to save Goa from the heartless government.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder member of Goencho Ekvott, commented that “We had also citied that Goa was reeling from the after effects of Cyclone Tauktae which had devastated our Electric Transmission lines for days. Further, it was made clear in our correspondence that we would be ready to participate in suspended personal hearings once the curfew was lifted by the authorities. It may also be noted that our legal team were given less than 24 hours notice to attend the hearings.”
The Supreme Court appointed CEC has recommended total scrapping of the Double Tracking mega project.
