The site at Davorlim where the local protesters and police came to face on Wednesday morning Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Anti-track doubling activists came face to face with railways and police officials on the Davorlim railway tracks on Wednesday morning when the people demanded stoppage of all works till the railways produce the documentation on the land acquisition and other NOCs.
The people charged senior police official, DySP Kiran Podwal for acting in a high handed manner, accusing the police officer of issuing threats that they will not be able to go abroad if cases are registered against them.
A group of Davorlim villagers along with Goemcho Ekvott executive committee members led by Creson Antao descended near the work site where the workers were on the job to lay the new track. A large posse of policemen was mobilized by the administration to keep the protestors at bay, but the people insisted that the work be stopped till the railways produce the documents, including land ownership documents, NOCs etc.
The people also demanded to know whether the contractor executing the work of laying the track had obtained the health cards for the migrant workers engaged on the site. Health officials, who were called on the site, asked for the health cards from the workers. The supervisor told the health officials that the heath cards will be submitted at the health office by evening.
A local resident Andrew Rebello told the media that Davorlim villagers will not allow the work of laying the track to resume as they are convinced that the land of the villagers have been taken over by the railways for a wrong cause to transport coal. “The railways maintained they have paid money for the land but they had never clarified to the people that the land was being taken over for coal transportation. This land belong to the villagers and we will not allow anyone to put the land for wrong use”, Andrew said, adding that coal transportation on the new track will affect the health of the villagers and have a negative impact on the fields and water bodies.
Saying the villagers had asked for documents on the marking of 30 meter land on either side of the tracks, Andrew said Davorlim villagers will not allow the work to resume in the village.
Referring to the blame game by BJP and Congress leaders over who gave the green signal for coal handling at the MPT, Andrew cautioned that the political parties are blaming each other in order to fool the people.
Goencho Ekvott Convenor Creson Antao said members of the organization rushed to Davorlim after locals called up to inform that the railways were carrying out the work without proper documentation.
“When we questioned about the documents, including the land acquisition and the NOCs obtained to carry out the work, the police acted in a high handed manner, asking us to give our names. We refused saying they had given their names to the deputy Collector, Margao at Chandor with their names and telephone numbers, but have till date not received a call from the authorities for discussions”, Creson said.
He said if the railways and the police are sincere in addressing the questions, they should have invited the people at the Collectorate and reply to the host of questions.
Creson said the police threatened the people on grounds they were standing in the railway property, but had no answer when the people demanded the property documents to prove the land belonged to the railways.
