For the last two months, the residents of Loutolim have been agitating against the proposed alignment for the new Borim Bridge that passes through their fields.
In December, the farmers of Loutolim have been running from pillar to post, be it attending presentations by the PWD or to the office of the PWD Special Land Acquisition Officer (SLAO), where they have been emphasizing why they are opposing the selected alignment.
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However, till the end of 2023, their situation remains the same.
While one division of the PWD is yet to show them a new alignment that can incorporate the suggestions and demands of the local residents, another division of the PWD has asked the LAO to dismiss their objections and proceed with the land acquisition proceedings.
“Hearings were held on different dates by SLAO at Altinho and almost all were handed over a reply to our objections which had about 12 clauses. Finally, it was written that our objections were not sustainable and may be rejected however another hearing date is given and, on that day, we are going to counter the clauses of our rejection as mentioned by the SLAO,” said Albert Pinheiro, Chairman of the Loutolim Tenants Association.
It may be recalled that senior citizens including a person who was over the age of 90 have gone for
these hearings with the hope of saving their lands.
The next date for the hearings has been scheduled for January 4, 2024.
Pinheiro also gave an update about the meetings that were held with the PWD along with the Environment Minister to discuss their concerns.
“The PWD has informed that they along with the consultants would be visiting the site as instructed by our Environment Minister but so far we have not been informed about (new) alternate alignment and the proposed land acquisition is status quo. The site inspection as informed would be held in the first week of January 2024,” Pinheiro added.
When Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira was asked by media persons about the Borim bridge updates, Sequeira, who is also the Nuvem MLA, stated that the planned meeting has not taken place this week given the Christmas-related festivities. He added that this meeting to finalise the right alignment, will be held in the New Year.
“One thing is clear that there is no issue over the construction of a new Borim bridge. The issue to be resolved is over the alignment. I want to assure everyone that I will not allow a single house to be demolished to make way for the new bridge,” said Sequeira.
Objections filed by Loutolim farmers
The affected residents and farmers of Loutolim have filed their objections to the PWD National Highway (NH) Special Land Acquisition Officer as well as the State PWD Chief Engineer, PWD & Environment Minister, Goa Chief Minister and Union Minister for Roads, Transport & Highways.
In their written submissions, the agricultural tenant of the khazan fields who received such notices pointed out that they are cultivating paddy and maintaining the said fields. They added that they are also members of the Tenant Association of Carbot, Cantor, Macasana & Bebdo, Loutolim, and stakeholders of the highly productive fishing activities within their khazans.
They further pointed out that they are also cultivating vegetables on the bandhs of their khazans along with other community members
Giving further details of their tenancy, they asserted that their fields have been cultivated by their ancestors from times immemorial and are the only agricultural land that they and their family have and that their future generations totally depend on these fields based in Loutolim for their survival, as these lands provide them with staple fish, curry and rice for their
sustenance.
They added that their Tenants Association is an unrivalled, unique Agro-Pisciculture system created by their indigenous communities, which deserves World Heritage Recognition and conservation.
“Our traditional organic rice cultivation, fish cultivation, biodiversity, wetlands, and livelihoods are dependent on these khazans, which must be protected and conserved for the survival of our indigenous communities, and future generations,” residents of Loutolim said.
“The acquisition and change in use of any part of these khazans will interfere with the water movement needed for the survival of our paddy crops, making it impossible to cultivate
any of the remaining khazan fields,” they added.
“The rich fisheries of our khazans will be destroyed, and the entire economic production of the Tenants Association will be lost if the proposed alignment of the high-level new Borim Bridge along with approaches across the Zuari River is not changed. The biodiversity, migratory waterfowl, and the environment will be destroyed,” the tenants added further.
They also submitted that the alignment selected is the worst in terms of cost and traffic.
“There are alternative alignments that serve the traffic better without destroying the people’s economies and lives and the environment. The proposed alignment was selected without consulting the people and the Loutolim village panchayat and without proper studies, and without considering that the entire khazan lands are within CRZ, where any such diversion of land is totally impermissible,” they added.
The tenants also criticised the fact that no Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) or Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared before selecting the alignment and that the traffic studies used for selecting the alignment were also outdated, especially the opening of the new Zuari Bridge
on NH-17.
“More importantly, the Chief Engineer (NH, R & B) has taken any arbitrary and wrong decision to overrule the Consultant and chose the worst alternative (alignment), without evaluating and comparing the actual costs and designs with the other alternatives,” they added.
On that note, they requested the State and Central government to drop the proposed acquisition of their khazan fields and to carry out proper studies before reviewing all alternatives and selecting the best alignment for the proposed high-level New Borim Bridge, along with approaches across the Zuari river, so that the khazans of their village, our indigenous communities and environment are protected.
