MARGAO
The Goa police and the telecom company officials once again beat a retreat as the residents of Virabhat in Curtorim village foiled attempts to install a mobile tower in the premises of a government primary school against the wishes of the locals.
This is the fifth or sixth time the residents of Virabhat, dominated by the Scheduled tribes, came face to face with the officials of telecom officials and the men in uniform to oppose the mobile tower. The residents have been opposing the mobile tower in the government school complex on the ground that the open space is the only area available for the children for recreation.
Virabhat falls in the panchayat ward represented by sarpanch Caetano Hilario and the residents look forward to the panchayat and the local MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco intervening and stopping the tower from coming up in the school compound. The residents want the Independent MLA, supporting the BJP government, to use his good offices with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and shift the tower. They reminded how the BJP leader Savio Rodrigues had got the Chief Minister to direct the mobile company to shift the tower from being stalled at the Two Cross location in neighbouring Sao Jose de Areal.
Sarpanch Caetano told The Goan after the police left the site that the panchayat has received no reply from the company as well as the officials on its letter to date.
“We do not want the mobile tower in the school compound,” he said while rallying behind the people.
A resident Lydia Mendonca informed that the school compound is the only space available for the children of the locality for recreation.
“We are not opposing the tower for the sake of opposition. They can shift the tower to the comunidade land. But, if the tower is set up at the school compound, the children will forever lose the recreation ground,” she said.
Saying the local MLA has to safeguard the interests of the people, she said the government will have to listen to the voices of the agitating people. “The children stay in compact houses and no ground for recreation. They will lose their only place for recreation if the government bulldozes its way,” she said.
Former Curtorim ZP member & Congress leader Moreno Rebello demanded to know whether the government is harassing the people of Virabhat just because they are not BJP members. “We are not targeting MLA Reginaldo, but the MLA has done nothing to stop the tower from coming up at Virabhat,” he said while questioning “If BJP leader Savio Rodrigues could stop the tower from coming up near Two Crosses at Areal, why not the Curtorim MLA supporting the BJP government.”
