SANGUEM: Following Kalay villagers’ agitation on Friday before the local panchayat building, opposing any move to stop loading and unloading of ore at Kalay railway yard, truck owners from the village and Sanguem, on Saturday evening had a meeting supporting the villagers.
Coming together under the banner of ‘Save Mining and Save Bread’, the truck owners appealed to the authorities, including the panchayat to consider the problems the villagers and truck owners will face if the High Court prohibits ore handling in the village.
It may be recalled that the High Court had passed an order to stop ore handling at the Kalay railway yard following a petition filed by Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares who objected to ore handling at the Kalay railway yard because it comes within the wildlife sanctuary.
The Court order stipulates that there will be no ore handling at the yard till the next hearing which is scheduled for January 23. Claude Alvares had pointed out that permission of the wildlife warden is mandatory to carry out any such activity within the wildlife sanctuary and as there was no such permission, the Court had stopped the ore handling till its final order.
President of Sanguem Truck Owners Association Marcus Pereira appealed to the panchayat and other concerned agencies to spare a thought to the effect such a ban would have on the livelihood of the people and also the truck owners.
“Truck owners have a lot of problems including having to spend a lot of money on maintenance of vehicles,” he said adding that the money earned is not sufficient to look after their families.
Marcus pointed out that truck owners from Sanguem have to undertake 12 to 15 trips every month to survive and added that their main business is to transport the ore to Kalay railway yard.
“Abrupt closure of transportation activities at Kalay railway yard will severely affect the livelihood of truck owners,” he said.
South Goa Truck Owners Association President Vallabh Dalvi while pointing out that most truck owners have been forced to become truck drivers to tide over the financial crunch, urged those opposing ore transportation to put themselves in place of truck owners and see the difficulties they face.
Kishore Gauns Dessai, echoing the views expressed by Marcus and Vallabh, suggested meeting the chief minister within a week to explain their problems to him.
“An adverse order from the High Court will end mining activities in Sanguem, Kalay and Darbhandora as all these areas come within the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife and Netravali Wildlife Sanctuaries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kalay Sarpanch Narendra Gaonkar who is at the receiving end on account of the status quo order clarified that he has nothing against legal mining activities in the village.
“Since the railway yard is barely 10 meters from residential houses and also close to a chapel, school and market, I had only suggested that it be shifted to an alternate site at Santona ward in neighbouring Sanvordem village,” he said.
Gaonkar said that it was following a gram sabha resolution that he suggested shifting the ore handling to Santona as it is an isolated area with no residential houses nearby.
Goa Foundation denies allegations
PANJIM: The NGO Goa Foundation has strongly denied allegations by Kalay villagers that it has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition in consultation with the Kalay Village Panchayat, to halt the transport of mineral ore from a location within the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary.
Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares said, “This is incorrect. The Panchayat of Kalay in fact has been made a respondent in the PIL. The Goa Foundation has made allegations against the Panchayat for not stopping the construction of a concrete road to the spot of the unloading and loading of mineral ore from Karnataka.”
Alvares said that it was correct that the Kalay Sarpanch met the Goa Foundation staff in the lobby of the High Court. The purpose was to explain that the Panchayat had issued notices for stoppage of the activity and that the allegations made in the PIL about the Panchayat were incorrect.
“It appears that the transport of mineral ores from the Kalay rail siding was already stopped in June 2023, after villagers of Kalay moved the High Court. Thereafter, they have moved the NGT over pollution being caused by the unloading/loading of trucks in the Kalay settlement,” Alvares said.
