MARGAO
Cries of “no development, no kabrastan” at Sonsodo reverberated at a meeting of residents of Borda and Raia on Sunday, as people from both the areas adopted an unanimous resolution urging the Margao Municipal Council to stop all development at Sonsodo, including the proposed kabrastan on the acquired land admeasuring 30,000 sq mts.
The meeting held at the packed hall at Sonsodo on Sunday further opposed the construction of the proposed kabrastan next to the Catholic cemetery and wondered how permission can be accorded for a burial ground on land with a steep 70 degree gradient.
“We don’t want any development or kabrastan on the acquired land admeasuring 30,000 sq mts Any development on the acquired land with 70 degree gradient will lead to environmental degradation,” the resolution stated.
As former Raia sarpanch Xavier Fernandes read the resolution, the audience roared with a firm ‘no’ to the kabrastan, as they raised their hands in support of the resolution opposing the burial grounds on the
acquired land.
The resolution will now be forwarded to the Margao Municipal Council for
necessary action.
Speakers at the meeting vehemently objected to the kabrastan from being set up at the acquired land at Sonsodo and next to the Catholic cemetery. The speakers also demanded to know how the government can construct a road through the exiting cemetery to the acquired land located behind
the cemetery.
The speakers also took strong exception to the reported threats issued to activist Felix Dias by a member of the kabrastan committee, warning that people of Borda and Raia besides Goans will no longer tolerate threats of violence from any quarter.
Speakers were also critical of the fact that some persons descended in the cemetery under the guise of carrying out demarcation of the Raia-Margao border, asserting that they will not allow any development by razing the wall of the existing cemetery.
A resident of Borda, Francisco Pinto demanded to know whether there’s any provision made for a 500-metre buffer zone between the existing cemetery and the
proposed kabrastan.
“Instead of talking about the buffer zone, they have plans to encroach into the Christian cemetery. They have also believed to have issued threats to one of our brothers. This has vitiated the peace and harmony in the area and the government should evolve a solution to the satisfaction of all people,”
he said.
In her brief address, Sr. Manjulla said people should come together and unitedly achieve the objective if they wish to protect their rights.
Activist and Shiv Sena leader, Felix Dias expressed satisfaction that people have finally understood the danger posed by the development/kabrastan at Sonsodo.
“We are peace-loving citizens, but at the same time we will not allow anyone to do ‘dadagiri’ in our land,” he said, while making a fervent plea to the people to stay alert and stop the kabrastan from taking shape at Sonsodo.
