THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The Mopa Vimantol Pidit Xetkari Samiti has decried the Goa Government’s move to freeze development around the upcoming Mopa airport in a radius of five kilometres saying the move will affect the villagers who will not be allowed to rebuild or modify their houses without the prior permission of the government.
Samiti’s secretary Sandip Kambli cited reports of the steering committee meeting held on March 23, 2013 in which the steering committee clearly decided “to freeze around 5kms of land for any development activities without sanction of the government.”
“We have discovered that the government has secretly approved the total freeze on development within 5kms radius around our plateau, which includes many areas around our six villages making it almost impossible for half the residents of Pernem taluka to construct even a room for themselves in the future,” Kambli said.
He lamented that the government has consistently failed to even acknowledge them despite they challenging the Environmental Clearance granted to the project before the NGT and knowing that large amount of money will be lost if the clearance is revoked.
“Instead of attempting to understand our issues as promised before the High Court, the government acts as if we don’t even exist. They want to finish off our families and communities and don’t have the decency to talk to us, reply to our elaborate pleas or even face us,” he said referring to the fact that the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone in far away Bambolim.
The affected villagers from Varconda, Casarvornem, Chandel, Amberem, Uguem and Mopa gathered at the Mopa plateau on Sunday to protest against the government's move to freeze any development in a radius of 5 km around the Mopa airport.
