AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
SAVORFOND, SANCOALE: Locals from Sancoale and are seething with anger and ready to come out of their homes again as project proponents of Bhutani Infra on Wednesday brought in machinery – with police protection – for soil testing despite the matter being heard at the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court.
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“I have said it before and am repeating that we will start work only after we get permission from the High Court or the proper government authority,” said Amit Taneja, CEO of Bhutani Infra.
“We asked for police protection based on the High Court direction of December 18, 2024. We brought in machinery to do soil testing to get environment clearance and not to construct,”
assured Taneja.
To the locals, “by getting machinery with the help of the police,” is evidence that the government is against the people. “We were quiet but not asleep. If Bhutani thinks they can silence our voice with the help of the government, we will make them shudder with our collective shout,” warned Sancoale panch Tulshidas Naik.
“Our patience cannot be played with and we are ready to come out again in larger numbers. The people of Goa are still with us. This is our collective battle,” warned Naik.
Ramesh Construction Company in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, had on December 12, 2024 prayed that the Goa Police be directed to provide protection – due to constant threats in the past – so as to carry on soil testing.
Six days later, Justice Nivedita P Mehta and Justice Karnik ordered: “Our attention is invited to the copy of the representation which has been made by the petitioner to the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police and other officials at page 66 of the petition.”
“Having read the nature of the complaint, the respondents are directed to look into the complaint and take the same to its logical conclusion in accordance with law, expeditiously.”
That, the police opted to provide police protection to a company that is allegedly seen to be harassing the locals have irked the villagers and environmentalists against the project.
“On Wednesday afternoon, we noticed a vehicle trying to enter the property and soon people gathered and stopped it from entering. After a while, the police appeared and after threatening the protester escorted the vehicle in,” recollects local Ralph D’souza.
“A PIL has been filed in the High Court to get a stay on the project and I’m still in the dark why the stay has not been obtained. Whatever tactics are used to silence us, we will not back down,” claims D’Souza.
Stunned by the police action Peter D’Souza , who has filed a petition at the High Court claiming that the project is on its feet with no valid permissions, shot of a letter to the IGP objecting to the requests made by M/S Parmesh Construction Company Ltd for police protection.
“The police have not been ordered to provide protection but the DGP has been asked to decide and we did not expect our government to decide against its own people,” said an exasperated Peter D’Souza.
“We hereby strongly object to such an arbitration action against the villagers by allowing police protection. The said M/s Parmesh Construction Company ltd have filed false FIRs and are trying to use the same to seek police protection thereby trying to commence construction which lacks proper permissions and the development permission issued is illegal and de hors the law in force,” read the letter addressed to the IGP and signed by four locals of Sancoale.
“We therefore have a strong and reasonable apprehension that in the guise of seeking police protection, they would abuse such protection, if granted, by illegally commencing construction activity, leading to law and order situation,” concludes the note.
No activity could be seen on Thursday at the site. The guard was seen snoozing through the afternoon. “They kept the soil testing machinery on top and that is all,” observed local Yogesh Naik.
“I will not make any statement,” shot back Verna Police station PI Melson Colaso when prodded for his reaction on the presence of his policemen at the site to help Bhutani Infra.
