MARGAO: A delegation of Goyant Kollso Naka (GKN) on Monday handed over a memorandum to Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai with a plea that the ongoing doubling of Vasco-Kulem railway line be stopped immediately in view of the Supreme Court’s recent judgement.
“We beg with you to kindly convince our government not to arbitrarily destroy our villages and the lives of our future generations and to stop all construction works, at least until all permissions are obtained, especially for the critical section within the Wildlife Sanctuary,” said the GKN delegation.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The Governor gave the delegation a patient hearing as they detailed not only what the apex court had said but also listed the existing problems faced by the locals.
“The Supreme Court has thus found, based on all the submissions of the railway authorities, that the project is not necessary. It has also found that the impact upon the Western Ghats is unacceptable and the mitigation measures proposed are also not viable,” reads the memorandum.
“The double tracking project is a linear project, which means that unless the entire project is completed any construction carried out is a waste of public funds and abortive works. It is therefore common sense and in public interest that public funds should not be spent unless all permissions and land are obtained first. In this instance, in view of the orders of the Supreme Court, the stoppage of the works should have been a foregone conclusion,” the delegation added.
The GKN also referred to the recent meeting between the State government and Railway authorities where the CM asked the Railways to continue the work in the areas outside the wildlife sanctuary, following which hill cutting and construction work across Goan villages have recommenced at a great pace.
“This has caused great anger and unrest among the local communities, since the continuation of construction work is completely contrary to logic and against public interest,” the group added while presenting a factual report to support their demand.
The delegation questioned why the work outside the Wildlife sanctuary is starting now, given that it may take a year or so to be completed, when the construction work within the Wildlife Sanctuary is not permitted.
“The work outside the Wildlife Sanctuary has the greatest impact on the local communities, residents, their lives and their livelihood. A large population will be displaced or will lose their rights if the works are forcibly carried out. The railway line also passes through highly ecologically sensitive CRZ areas and the construction work, if carried out, will cause huge irreversible destruction, for no reason,” the delegation said.
“This is even more grave since the Railways is refusing to take any permissions from the CRZ or other authorities and is proceeding without any scientific basis, caution, care or statutory permissions,” GKN added.
