WORK CONTINUES IN PRESENCE OF STRONG POSSE OF POLICEMEN
PANAJI
In a setback to villagers and land-losing farmers opposing the ongoing link road work for the greenfield Mopa International Airport, the North Goa Collector on Wednesday refused to interfere and halt the contractor from proceeding with work.
Ajit Roy, IAS, who had called a group of villagers including the Varkhand-Nagzar Sarpanch Sanjay Tulaskar, told them at the meeting held in the North Goa Collectorate that the ongoing work on the road to provide the airport a link to the National Highway is within the legal framework of Central laws.
Tulaskar who spoke to the media after the meeting said that Roy informed them that the work cannot be stopped.
Meanwhile, the work at the site for the link road continued in the presence of a strong posse of policemen in an apparent move to defuse tension after a group of villagers and farmers had resorted to an impromptu on-site agitation over the last few days.
The panchayat headed by Tulaskar had also issued a ‘stop work’ order against the project on grounds that mandatory permissions had not been obtained from the local body.
On Wednesday, Tulaskar expressed dismay over the Collector’s position, adding that he has been informed that an official reply to the panchyat’s stop-work order will also be formally given.
Others accompanying Tulaskar at the meeting with the Collector said they will collectively decide their next course of action after the reply to the panchayat’s stop-work order is received.
Farmers affected by the project have been consistently protesting and on Sunday resorted to blocking the road at Mopa and demanded the stoppage of work immediately.
Farmers from Varkhand, Nagzar, Tulaskarwadi, Dhargal and surrounding areas are agitating under the banner of Dhargal Mopa Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti.
They had warned that the agitation will be intensified in days to come and had set a 24-hour deadline to stop the work while also threatening to move the National Green Tribunal.
