Team Herald
MARGAO: Continuing their battle to save the environment from destruction with regards to the Western Bypass project, Benaulim villagers including children have now sought divine intervention in the form of a ‘non-stop prayer’ to save them from possible devastation.
They pray: ‘”Our Abba Father in Heaven, we place all the children everywhere in the world of all ages today into Your gentle but powerful hands. Please save them, have mercy on them and free them all from rebellion, laziness and greed. May they be conscious of Your presence Lord Jesus as You take away all their confusion, hopelessness, anxiety and depression. Release Your supernatural faith, love, hope and peace in them. Heal all their broken hearts as You replace it with Your joy and strength to withstand all the temptations that come before them. Teach them how to yearn for righteousness and detest lies and immorality. Preserve their innocence and keep their hearts pure! Save these children from every snare set up by Satan and the world that surrounds them. We claim victory for each child in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Benaulim ex-sarpanch Royla Fernandes said they are trying to form a prayer group of thousand people to pray for the children of this generation.
“We want to ask God to save them from the negative side of the Internet, games addiction, influences, rebellion, laziness, greed, confusion, helplessness, anxiety, and depression,” she said.
On the Western Bypass issue, she said many don’t realise that they are moving into a deep darkness slowly but surely.
Villagers of Benaulim have appealed to all the people to join them in the prayer (loud or silently as you wish) for every child of every colour in every country and in the world today.
It is pertinent to note that villagers of Benaulim are fighting to convince the court and the government that their only aim is to protect the environment. Villagers have filed petitions before the National Green Tribunal and the High Court of Bombay at Goa in the matter.
A few days ago, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had asked the State government to ensure the balance stretch of Western Bypass is completed within the stipulated time frame by October 2022, wherein the 10-member committee constituted upon the directions of National Green Tribunal (NGT) had recommended building the Western Bypass stretch of 1.2 on stilts. The Public Works Department too had filed an affidavit in this regard before the court.
However, villagers of Benaulim want to build the Western Bypass at Benaulim on stilts, as this area is more prone to flooding.
Royla Fernandes, the petitioner in the case is on record that all the surveys and inspections reports by Town and Country Planning Department, besides Water Resources Department have stated that the land at Benaulim is low-lying area, and agricultural land.
As per the TCP inspection report, it has been stated that land bearing Survey Number 140 of Benaulim village is classified as river and nallahs/ponds as per provisions of Regional Plan for Goa 2021. It also states that a major portion of the land is under cultivable land zone while the remaining portion is partly under river and nallahs/ponds, besides paddy field zone.
Proposed road being very close to River Sal, there is scope for damaging the banks/bundh/drains connecting the River Sal during construction stage and thereby joint monitoring is required frequently to reinstate the damaged sites till the final stage of construction.
