MARGAO: At a joint inspection held beside the railway tracks in Velsao on Saturday, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) agreed to listen to the concerns of the local residents and also be part of a joint meeting with the Velsao panchayat and Mormugao Deputy Collector (Dy) that will be held later.
Cortalim MLA Anton Vaz, who was also present for the inspection along with Verna Police Inspector Diego Gracias, said he would soon place all these issues before the Chief Minister to find a solution.
At the inspection, where police were present, Vaz, along with social activist Roquezinho D’Souza, interacted with the locals and then listed out their grievances to the railway authorities and policemen.
The MLA also insisted that the Railways measure the area where they propose to lay the double track so that its proximity to the houses alongside the railway track can be assessed.
Vaz informed both the Velsao panch members and the Railway authorities that he would convene a joint meeting with them before the Dy Collector next week.
He further added that a delegation of locals would be present for this meeting, to voice whatever issues they had.
“There was noise over the double tracking project, and so, I came to the site to understand the issues. I realise that locals are facing various issues like loss of their traditional access and are unhappy with the proximity of the proposed tracks to their houses, amongst other issues,” said Vaz.
Social activist D’Souza opined that there has been a lot of noise but no solutions forthcoming.
“We have seen that people are being misguided, and they have never spoken about actual pertinent issues. We can find a resolution to any issue, provided we are engaged in talks, and there is clarity about the project. We called our MLA here and he assured us to raise our problems with the Railway authorities and also take it up with the CM. We are now hopeful that our problems and grievances will be addressed,” D’Souza added.
RVNL officials claimed that no one had approached them till date with the issues of the people, and that they were only being told to stop the work.
“The MLA has now asked to attend a joint meeting with the Dy Collector, locals and Velsao panchayat members. We will listen to their issues and try to find a solution. We can also see how best we can benefit the locals while carrying out the double tracking project,” RVNL officials added.
