Poinguinkars up in arms over land for IE

Accuse GIDC of trying to grab prime land
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Poinguinkarancho Ekvott organized a protest march from the office of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), which culminated in a public meeting at Azad Maidan in Panjim to protest the government’s move to acquire land atop Culti plateau for another industrial estate in Canacona.
The villagers have raised concerns about availability of water, since, as has happened in Verna, most industries have dug bore wells, and have condemned the need for another industrial estate when plots at the existing Shristhal industrial estate are vacant.
We demand that the ongoing forcible acquisition of our common lands at Culti plateau be stopped immediately. This acquisition is completely opposed by the majority of the residents, who are greatly angered by your refusal to respect the wishes of the people,” Caetano Barreto, the President of the Poinguinkarancho Ekvott said.
The villagers handed to the GIDC a copy of a report detailing the impact of the proposed change in land use at the Culti plateau, which they said they prepared “after carrying out intensive studies of the ground realities.”
“Irrefutable evidence abounds to prove beyond doubt that the industrial estate is against the interests of the village, and will spell doom for 7,000 members of sustainable communities living around the plateau,” Barreto said.
“We demand that GIDC scrap the ongoing land acquisition, failing which we will assume that GIDC is only interested in grabbing our lands, and will step up our opposition to this grave threat to our survival with all our resources and constitutional means,” the memorandum reads.