CHANDOR: Following the deadlocked meeting between officials of the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd and the villagers of Guirdolim and Chandor Cavorim on January 30, 2021, the villagers are now recouping and preparing for the next stage of their agitation.
“We need to meet and finalise what we should do and I am trying to get the villagers of Guirdolim and Chandor Cavorim to meet as soon as possible,” said Agostinho Antao, former sarpanch of Guirdolim and present chairman of the Biodiversity Management Committee of Guirdolim.
It was Agostinho, who raised the issue vehemently when the RVNL started burying the Guirdolim River after it was earlier blocked by the British when they set up the railway track over 100 years ago.
Felix Furtado from Chandor Cavorim stressed the need to meet and finalise the programme and said that currently they monitoring work at the site and expressed happiness that dumping of fresh mud has stopped.
“The rail authorities appear to be clearing up the mess that they created, as right now they have started removing the various trees that were cut and just dumped there, with some of them even lying in water,” he said adding that it appears that the mud dumped in the river will be removed next.
Abhijit Prabhudessai of Rainbow Warriors had given a detailed presentation at the January 30th meeting of the various violations that the Railways had done while going ahead with the work without taking any necessary permission or license. He said there are various options before them.
“While the ultimate option is civil disobedience which I think is not required right now,” he opined and suggested that instead they will complain about the illegalities carried out by the Railways before the various authorities whose laws and rules have been violated.
He said the complaints could be made to the Water Resources Department, Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, Collector South along with Flying Squad, Town and Country Planning’s Chief Town Planner, Panchayat and the Forest Department and added that it was for the villagers to decide.
The villagers of Chandor Cavorim and Guirdolim admitted that they have to meet their local MLA Clafasio Dias to ask him to be their voice in this matter although some were skeptical about this. They pointed out that the MLA had already said during the recent Assembly session that he was totally in favour of double tracking of the railway line.
“We shall try to meet sometime soon to finalise our plan of action but yes we have to meet the local MLA and also complain to the various authorities,” said John Douglas Coutinho, who has taken the initiative against double tracking in the twin villages.
Captain Viriato Fernandes of Goencho Avaaz opined that John Shilshi, the consultant appointed by RVNL had no locus standi to participate in the meeting and further alleged that his only mission is to keep the people engaged in talks while allowing the RVNL to go ahead with their work.
Capt Viriato said they have three options before them but refused to divulge them at this stage.
However, he said the RVNL has clearly violated the instructions issued by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which had on March 21, 2011 clearly stated that when projects are proposed in forest and non-forest areas, work cannot start in non-forest land unless the clearances are obtained from Forest Department.
“This double tracking of South Western Railway Line is taking place in Goa and Karnataka and Forest Department has flatly refused any permission for work in their forest area and hence the RVNL could not start the work in non-forest area including in Goa and that is their major violation,” he said.
What is pertinent to note is that on January 30th knowing the public sentiment John Shilshi at the outset clearly stated that he does not have the power to stop the ongoing work and appealed to the people to take up this matter with their elected MLA or MP as it was for the Railway Minister to decide on stoppage of work.
John Shilshi, a much decorated IPS officer, has handled extremely sensitive matters like insurgency in North East as he hails from Manipur and has been attached to the Prime Minister’s Office working with the National Security Adviser.
He has been personally meeting those opposing the double tracking project in Goa and as the opposition is mostly from South Goa and Salcete John is presently living in Benaulim and personally visits people.
