Velsao locals enraged with silence of authorities over ‘encroachments’ done by the Railways on their land

MARGAO: The locals of Velsao who had rushed to the railway tracks earlier this week to protest the proposed double-tracking work in their village, have questioned why none of the authorities are responding to their written complaints regarding alleged encroachments on their land by the Railways.

So far, their only interaction has been with the Goa Police and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), when the police and RVNL had visited the village to speak to the locals who have been steadfast in blocking any construction work that allegedly encroached into their compounds or traditional right of way. 

However, even during these interactions, the villagers’ claims of land ownership were brushed aside, despite having ownership papers to support their arguments. RVNL also refused to show them any ownership documents that the railways have for the land on which they wanted to begin construction for the laying of the second track.

It may be recalled that the locals have sent repeated written objections to the South Goa Collector, Mormugao Mamlatdar, Directorate of Settlement & Land Records (DSLR), South Western Railway (SWR), as well as RVNL, Goa Police, and the Railway Police. Even the Velsao-Pale-Issorcim panchayat has asked the authorities concerned to intervene and respond at the earliest.

“Are we second-class citizens to be treated like this? We have called for inspections with DSLR and other authorities with the landowners,” Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder of Goencho  Ekvott said.

 “The aim is to ensure inspections are done where clear demarcations can be made to show the boundaries of the privately-owned properties so that these lands are not encroached upon,” said Orville Dourado Rodrigues, Goencho Ekvott Founder.

Local residents added that they are being deprived of their right to get a fair hearing from the authorities.

Former Cortalim MLA and ex-Minister Alina Saldanha lamented that those who live by the tracks are facing the brunt of the air and sound pollution and are now in a position where they may lose their land, and she said it was the bounden duty of the government to respond to their concerns and queries.

“My question to the government is, would they continue to live in such houses? Had they been the residents of these villages, would they allow their family and their children to live in houses like this? With all the risks involved?” said Saldanha.

Saldanha demanded that the government first carry out a survey to assess the condition of the houses located near the first track before work on the second track is taken up.

The locals pointed out that contrary to what the Railways claim, the villagers have ownership documents that prove they own the land right up to the railway tracks, and this new survey is being done to usurp ownership from the rightful landowners to the Railways who don’t have survey numbers to prove their ownership. They added that their families have owned the land even before the first single railway track was laid.

“The very reason that SWR does not have survey numbers means that all their work and contention regarding the ownership of the land is invalid, illegal and should be stopped immediately. These are ancestral lands that are owned by the landlords who have inscription & description documents prior to 1961 that prove they own the land,” said Olencio Simoes, General Secretary, Goenche Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE).

“Even the land on which the existing single-track passes through our villages is private property. The government is only doing this to facilitate Railways from taking these lands and to give those means to fight any litigation on this later,” Simoes added.