The Chicalim Youth Farmers Club (CYFC), a grassroots movement committed to the revival of farming and sustainable living, on Friday criticised the announcement by the Union Railway Ministry to proceed with the double-tracking of the Hosapet–Vasco railway line.
In a press note, the CYFC warned that the project's destructive path threatens not only Goa's forests but also the very future of its agriculture and local communities.
It added that large stretches of the double-tracking route will slice through the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, part of the UNESCO-listed Western Ghats which is a global biodiversity hotspot.
Speaking on behalf of the club, CYFC President Shogun Fernandes stated, "The government seems blind to the ecological disaster it is endorsing. Our fields, our rivers, our forests are the lifelines of our communities and we will not let them be destroyed in silence."
“Furthermore, environmentalists have repeatedly flagged the dangers of massive deforestation, disruption of wildlife corridors and irreversible damage to biodiversity.”
“The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and Supreme Court have already highlighted the ecological risks and placed its decision to halt the project in Mollem, yet the government continues to move forward, prioritising corporate coal interests over public welfare added Fernandes.
Stating that local communities are equally at risk, Fernandes stated that the project threatens to displace families, destroy homes, and fragment agricultural land, making farming impossible for young farmers who are already striving to revive fallow lands.
“Increased coal transport will exacerbate air and water pollution, further endangering the health of residents and undermining sustainable agriculture. The project is neither necessary for public transport nor justified economically but serves only corporate coal interests and will turn fertile lands into dust and concrete,” stated Fernandes.
The CYFC has called upon all Goans farmers, students, environmentalists and citizens to rise in unity against the double-tracking project.
“The government must halt this double-tracking project immediately and prioritise the sustainable future of Goa over corporate interests. We will not let Goan land be destroyed. We will not be silenced. We will fight for our fields, our forests, and our future,” Fernandes added.
