Team Herald
MARGAO: Trench digging work of South Western Railways in front of St Lawrence Chapel Arossim likely is to resume, which was stopped by Chapel Committee, Goencho Ekvott (GE) and villagers of Arrosim sometime back.
The trench was filled by the villagers and this time too they are gearing up to keep a strong vigil.
“They also dug up the parking area inside the Chapel premises. They had no courtesy to even provide a footpath for villagers to come to the chapel,” said local resident Ella Mascarenhas.
“The only footpath to cross over the railway tracks to access the St Lawrence Chapel from the western side of the Arossim village was excavated without giving a thought to the basic requirements of the local residents, most of whom are senior citizens,” said GE founder member Orville Dourado Rodrigues.
Locals had also demanded Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) contractor documents and permissions to carry out the work. Chapel Committee Member Celiano Antao went to the St Lawrence Chapel office and got the survey plan, which helped the locals in placing forth their arguments.
The GE team questioned the RVNL Supervisor if the local panchayat had been informed and necessary approval to commence the work were obtained and whether the local residents who have land holdings beside the railway tracks were notified, so that they could be physically present or make alternate arrangements.
GE members had inquired with the contractor if a survey had been conducted by the Directorate of Settlement & Land Records (DSLR) and whether the Railways have title to the land. They conveyed the contractor that till the villagers receive satisfactory response from the Railway authorities, they will not allow their community land to be used to facilitate the transportation of coal.
The contractor had backfilled the trenches but later resumed digging the trench. Villagers and GE members again stopped the excavation work and the trenches were backfilled.
“The supervisor from RVNL managed to obtain Engineering drawings which are not in sync with the land survey records,” Rodrigues added.
“Employees of RVNL (and their sub-contractors) are frequently trespassing into community and private properties without intimation to the locals, felling trees and digging trenches, destroying centuries old village storm water drains just at the onset of the monsoons. This unnecessary harassment must stop,” he added further.
Locals further demanded that all works of SWR that are related to the proposed railway double tracking project must be stopped in accordance with the recent ruling of the Supreme Court.
