PANJIM: A delegation of villagers from Khandepar and surrounding areas from Ponda taluka on Tuesday met Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai and demanded scrapping of the ongoing Khandepar Bandhara project and to revoke Section 144 CrPC in force in the villages since August 17, this year.
Pointing out several environmental concerns, the villagers expressed their strong objection to the Bandhara project. They alleged that the project has been illegally brought in the tribal area by people with vested interests in construction and eco-tourism projects. The project will displace Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities and other residents in the area, they feared.
The delegation also brought to the notice of the Governor that tribal areas were not notified in the State.
The villagers mostly belonging to ST communities under the banner of Gawada Kunbi Velip and Dhangar (GAKUVED) Federation appealed to the Governor to safeguard the interest of tribal communities by intervening in the matter and to give necessary directions to the State government to initiate stringent action against all involved in the fraud and abuse of powers to push a project costing close to Rs 100 crore with no apparent benefit, but which will displace the tribals and other residents unnecessarily.
The delegation comprised GAKUVED general secretary Rupesh Velip, attorney Ravindra Velip, spokesman Govind Shirodkar, former Curti-Khandepar sarpanch Shravani Gaude, Joycee Dias, Francisco Colaso, Constantino Faleiro and others.
