Sanguem: The farmers from Sanguem who own paddy fields and plantations in Cotarli village have vowed to ‘fight unto death’ to retain possession of their agricultural lands, warning the government that they would not give up their land for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project proposed in the agrarian taluka.
Deeply troubled after their bid to hold a meeting to discuss the project last Sunday was disrupted by a large group of IIT ‘supporters’ believed to be allies of Sanguem MLA SubhashPhaldesai, the farmers on Wednesday invited the media to have a look at their lush agricultural lands. The field trip was an attempt to disprove Phaldessai’s claim that the entire piece of land chosen to house the IIT project was lying fallow, and had not been cultivated for years together.
Pointing to a grove of fully-grown trees ranging from cashew and coconut to tamarind and other local produce, Maria Cruz said that her family has been in possession of the plantation that the government is now eyeing to set up the IIT, for over 30 years. “We are exclusively dependent on the income generated from farming, for our living. Moreover, the land on which the government is planning this institute is fertile and pristine, and bordered by a mountain on one side,” said Cruz.
“MLA Subhash Phaldesai and his men may have succeeded in silencing our voices at the meeting, but we will not remain quiet here, as this is our home. We will never leave our plantations to pave way for concrete structures,” she said.
Accusing Phaldesai of throwing around a ‘dictatorship attitude’, plantation owner Anfa Mascarenhas said, “The MLA is misleading us in the name of providing jobs for locals. This is a lie, and we will ensure that this project gets scrapped for the second time.”
Malisa Mascarenhas added that the site in question is full of plantations that the locals have encroached many years ago. “The plantations are now yielding. The area is also full of flora and fauna, and the mountain is home to a large number of animals and birds, whose habitat will be destroyed if this project comes up here. It is not that we oppose an IIT in Goa, but it definitely should not come up on agricultural land that the locals have been cultivating for years,” she said.
Meanwhile, government officials led by the Deputy Collector of Sanguem visited the proposed site for an inspection on Wednesday, reportedly to verify the encroachments made by the locals into government property. Over the next few days, the authorities are likely to conduct a survey operation in the area to verify the availability of plain land after excluding the area encroached by the locals for farming activities.
Meanwhile, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar on Wednesday alleged that attempts are being made to bulldoze the protest by farmers, who are opposing proposed IIT to save their cultivable land at Sanguem. He warned the government not to play with the sentiments of farmers or else repeat of Shel-Melauli will be inevitable if hardworking farmers are threatened.
