Xeldem villagers up in arms against development in Wetland

QUEPEM: Xeldem villagers have come together to protest against the land filling undertaken in the Xeldem Lake despite it being declared a Wetland. This is the second Wetland where undesired activity is undertaken after the Bondvollake which was mysteriously drained of all its water soon after the monsoons had receded.

Xeldem villagers led by farmer Prashant GaunsDessai have been protesting near the lake since December 23.InfactDesai went on a fast for the entire day in protest over the same.

A quintessential landmark of the village, the Xeldem Lake which is renowned for its bio-diversity and revered for its cultural significance is facing a threat as land filling is undertaken on one of its banks.

It is learnt that there is land filling being doneon the banks of the lake to erect a tower for high tension electricity cable, which the locals say will destroy thesurroundings.

Desai squarely blamed former minister Nilesh Cabral for the present mess and pointed out that at the Janata Darbar held on August 14, 2023 he had raised up the issue of this lake.

“Nilesh Cabral had said that the lake would be developed as a tourist spot and all local people would be provided jobs there,” Dessai said while pointing out that 200 mts away from the HT line, nothing will be permitted and thus there will be no tourist activity permitted at the lake.

He also lamented that the local panchayat that had assured him at the Gram Sabha on November 5, 2023 that the work on the tower has been stopped, is silent now when the work has visibly re-started.

“We survived on the waters of this lake as we drank it during my childhood and used it for agriculture, wallowing of our cattle and even ate the fish caught from the lake,” he said.

Continuing his tirade against Nilesh Cabral, Desai said earlier in the year 2008, Cabral had tried to set up a mining corridor through their village which was thwarted by the people then.

Aditya Dessai recalled that five months back, the villagers had protested when the work had started and the contractor was forced to take away his material.

“Subsequently, officials of the Goa State Wetland Authority inspected the site and have now submitted a report giving them a clean chit to erect the tower,” he lamented.

“I shall be lodging a criminal complaint against the official of the GSWA and also the Mamlatdar of Quepem who has given them a clean chit,” he said while asserting that this was the only way to force government servants to do their work properly while lamenting that though he was a complainant, the GSWA did not submit their inspection report to him.

He said he was confident that there was something fishy going on given the fact that the work has started when all would be on holiday due to the Christmas festival.

Vishal Dessai, another villager pointed out that there is no signboard put up at the site as mandated by law disclosing what work is going on.

“It appears that declaring lakes as a Wetland is just a way to fool the people as the government wants to permit private parties to probably build hotels next to them,” he said.

“We will pursue this matter with NGT and take all officers involved in preparing fraudulent reports to the court,” said Vishal Dessai.

Incidentally as per the notification declaring Xeldem Lake as a Wetland, the area of the wetland was shown as 735 sq. mts and that there would be no construction permitted within 50 mts of the lake which was declared as buffer zone.