North Goa District Magistrate Ankit Yadav has issued an order under Sec tion 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhi ta, 2023, prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons and the holding of rallies in and around Pan jim, particularly at Azad Maidan, starting from March 30. The order follows intel ligence reports of a mas sive protest planned by agitators demanding the scrapping of the proposed Mirabag Bandhara project. The administration noted that organisers had not obtained prior permission and intended to continue the agitation indefinitely until the government pro vided written assurance.
The prohibitions within the Panjim Police Station jurisdiction include assem bly of five or more people, processions, and demon strations; carrying fire arms, lathis, or other offen sive weapons, and shouting slogans likely to incite dis order; use of loudspeakers without permission, burn ing firecrackers, and the obstruction of public roads or traffic The District Magistrate also highlighted that the Model Code of Conduct is currently in force in the neighbouring South Goa District due to the Ponda Assembly Constituency by-election. The authorities ex pressed concern that an unlawful assembly in Pan jim could adversely affect public order and the con duct of free and fair elec tions, given the contiguous boundary between the dis tricts.
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The restrictions do not apply to public servants on duty, bona fide marriage or funeral processions, or spe cific events that have se cured prior written permis sion from the Magistrate. The order was passed ex-parte due to the urgency of the situation. Any viola tion of these directives will be punishable under Sec tion 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. It may be recalled that O Heraldo in its edition dated March 29, 2026 had reported that over a thou sand residents from eight villages across Sanvordem, Sanguem and Curchorem constituencies would con verge at Azad Maidan in Panjim on Monday, March 30. The protestors had re solved not to return home until Chief Minister Pra mod Sawant provided a written assurance scrap ping the proposed barrage (bhandara) across the Zuari River near the Mira bag Bridge.
The proposed barrage across the Zuari River, has unset tled locals who say their livelihoods are under threat from infrastructure they believe will harm them. The anger of the residents of Mirabag, Falnem, Pontemol, Soliya, Madel Dhadino, Mugloi and Taripanto is compound ed by a sense of betrayal, with all three constituencies rep resented by BJP MLAs. Residents had pointed out that flooding has been a seri ous concern, with water levels rising enough to inundate temples, submerge heavy vehicles and reach the thresh olds of many homes during heavy rains. The villages, connected by narrow tarred roads and surrounded by dense vegetation, largely depend on two-wheelers for transport, with livestock often slowing movement. Despite limited formal education among el ders, the community’s resolve appears unwavering.
