PORVORIM: The Opposition members on Monday demanded scrapping of the contentious South Western Railway (SWR) double tracking project in the State as it was built at the cost of heritage houses and led to destruction of the villages through the filling of fields, blocking of water bodies and the like.
The demand was made by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, Aldona MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao in the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour.
Sardesai and Adv Ferreira, who had tabled a joint starred question, alleged that people’s houses and fields in Cansaulim, Arossim, Cuelim and Velsao villages were being demolished and overrun. He questioned the urgency with which the government was forcing the double tracking project down the people’s throats, especially in sections where it wasn’t wanted.
“The Supreme Court has said – and I am reading from the Supreme Court judgment – ‘current movement of the railway rakes is 20%. The capacity and utilisation of the line is below 50%. A third railway line from Toranagallu to Krishnapatnam port would be a better alternative than connecting Mormugao Port to the Industrial Belt of Bellary District. Four-laning of National Highway 4A along the same route was being undertaken. NTCA approval is needed’. If all these things are noted and you cannot complete the Ghat section; what is your urgency in completing the [land] acquisition in the lower section?” Adv Ferreira asked.
“If that (the Ghat section of the project) is stopped, why are you insisting on completing this (the coastal section)? Scrap the project. This is a chain, it is a link. If this cannot be done, what is the use of doing the first part?” Adv Ferreira said.
“Why do we want this pollution, this coal? Acquisition is on for 14-metre from the centre of the existing track. The railway will reach right in the balconies of people. Karnataka has one major port and 12 minor ports. Why don’t you take it (the coal) there? Finally this coal is for Karnataka only, it is not for Goa. It has no benefit for Goa. Karnataka is 56 times bigger than Goa. This will be the destruction of Goa if the project goes forward,” Sardesai said.
“Why don’t you press for the scrapping of the project? The Supreme Court has given an order. It has a steep gradient, it is a tiger corridor, bison; so many issues are there and at the cost of the heritage? What is our
benefit to the project?” Sardesai questioned.
Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas too raised the concerns and demanded that the double tracking project be stopped.
Alemao produced a letter of SWR dated February 16, 2018, clearly revealing that then South Goa Collector suggested to SWR to carry out land acquisition under the Railway Act. “This clearly exposes that the State government wanted railway double tracking for coal transportation and charged that it was a special railway project of the government,” said Alemao. He further claimed that he was in possession of a letter written by the SWR general manager stating that land cannot be acquired under Railways Act.
Earlier, Revenue Minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate said that the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) is conducting a fresh survey for allotment of fresh survey numbers in two cities and 27 revenue villages and that this exercise will be completed within the next two to three months. The survey is aimed at settling the record of rights in areas in possession of SWR, which have not been assigned any survey numbers as per 1968-1971 survey.
Earlier the SWR had intended to acquire 4,150 square metres of land but later some area was dropped and now 3,084 square metres of land would be acquired for the project, the Minister said.
