CANACONA: Nearly a month since the Loliem Comunidade granted approval to hand over 250 acres of its land on the Bhagwati Plateau to the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) on a 99-year-long lease to set up the contentious project, Loliem villages have vowed to continue their fight to protect the plateau.
They have questioned whether there are any “ulterior motives” behind the project to increase the real estate value of the land and its surrounding areas.
The villagers are now conducting a signature campaign in the Canacona taluka, and some of them will seek membership of the Loliem Comunidade in May to strengthen those among the Comunidade members who are opposing the project.
The opposition is not restricted to Loliem village alone. Poinguinim resident, Vaijayanti Prabhu Gaonkar, a retired teacher, expressed her strong views at the Poinguinim gram sabha against the project.
Earlier, the Loliem gram sabha had passed a resolution against the project, but the decision taken at the Comunidade general body meeting on February 4, came as a huge setback to the locals.
Denis Fernandes, President of Loliem Citizens’ Committee highlighted the significance of the eco-sensitive plateau and how it serves not only the environment, wildlife, fauna but also the community in terms of natural resources and local economic activities like farming and cattle raising.
The locals fear that the village does not have the infrastructure to cater for the project which will create a strain on the resources, with most jobs going to non-residents.
Om Prabhugaonkar, one of the few dissenting Comunidade members, also questioned about the “ulterior motives” behind the project to increase the real estate value of the land and its surrounding areas and also a means to bring in projects like an amusement & theme park.
He felt that with digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), a Film City does not require so much land, which should have been preserved for the community.
