Shankar Mayenkar, a farmer sits at the top of the Tulaskarwadi on the borders of Mopa airport and keeps staring at the devastation, which was carried out by the government for the new Greenfield Mopa airport.
Villagers say Shankar, a cashew cultivator, has lost around 30,000 square metres of the land for the Mopa airport. He has lost his livelihood and is yet to get any compensation.
This is not the story of just one farmer; several other villagers have many tales to tell, which the authorities have failed to understand.
Even as the government is yet to settle the airport land dispute viz-a-viz compensation, it has come up with another plan for acquiring land for the Expressway.
The irony of the villagers is such that there are several farmers who had lost their land for the airport, will also have to part with another chunk of land for the Expressway.
Sandip Kambli, president of Mopa Vimantal Pidit Shetkari Samiti President, who himself has lost thousands of square meters of land, says the government has manipulated all rules to acquire land for the airport.
“Land is acquired but till date 60 to 65 per cent of the people/farmers have not accepted the compensation. From the year 2007, we have been fighting this battle and several petitions have been filed. We even approached the National Green Tribunal and later when the final order was supposed to be given, the judge was transferred,” he said.
Kambli informed that the Samiti is going to file contempt of court against the government for not fulfilling the conditions laid by the Supreme Court.
“There are more than 100 conditions laid by the Supreme Court, which have not been followed. This also includes air pollution, noise pollution, effect on sources of natural water and more,” he added.
Kambli also said that there are three roads, which the government has planned including the present existing road and another, for which the land has already been acquired.
He further added that the earlier road that was acquired from AYUSH hospital and Sports City land has now been dumped as several politicians have land holdings there.
“The land for that road had already been acquired. So why the new alignment now?” asked Kambli.
He added that the government wants to simply save the land of the high and mighty, while the poor farmers are losing their livelihood.
The villagers of Tulaskarwadi had recently staged a one-day hunger protest demanding the government to return back the excess land acquired for the project and to object to the additional land acquisition for the National Highway.
The villagers are now getting support from various Samitis in Goa including Pernem Kul Mundkar Samiti, Mopa Vimantal Pidit Xetkari Samiti and others.
These Samitis came forward along with Bodgeshwar Xetkari Samiti to support the farmers from Tulaskarwadi and threatened to agitate at a national level if the government fails to fulfill the demands of the farmers, who have been affected by the upcoming international Mopa Airport project.
President of Shri Bodgeshwar Xetkari Samiti Sanjay Barde stated that they are going to file a police complaint against the land acquisition officer for acquiring land by giving false assurance of providing jobs and thereby fooling the people.
These people were promised that they would be provided with jobs, in the letter given to them by the land acquisition officers. These letters were issued in 2004. However till date, nobody has been given any job,” he added.
He also pointed out that now some people are being given security jobs, but that they don’t want that. We want government jobs for these people” Barde remarked.
Besides the proposed nationwide agitation, he added that a huge morcha will be held to the Goa Legislative Assembly where more than 3000 people from across Goa will participate.
Speaking about their other contentions, Barde said the MDR leading to the Airport has been declared as NH66 and that the NGPDA is now trying to commercialise the area around under ODP. “Excess land will not be given to the government since this land and forests belong to the people”, Barde added.
“For the last three years, these people are unable to cultivate their forests, which is their source of livelihood and the government will have to compensate for the same”, Barde added.
Goa Kul Mundkar Sanghrsh Samiti alleged that the government has illegally acquired the land for Mopa airport and they will not allow the government to complete the project as it is a matter of saving the livelihood of the common people as well as protecting the environment.
