MARGAO
Affected villagers from Velsao, Pale, Issorcim, Cansaulim, Arossim and Utorda have attended to the second hearing at the court of the Inspector of Land & Survey Records, South Goa Collectorate, Margao.
The matter is being heard since January 6, 2025 based on an application by the Additional Divisional Railway Manager, South Western, Hubballi to the Court of the Collector/SDO & SDM, Vasco da Gama who was declared as the Competent Authority for the Land Acquisition process for the proposed double tracking.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues told the media after the hearing that the Department of Revenue had issued a gazette dated 26th May 2023 stating that in the year 1968-71 survey was carried out in villages thereby promulgating the records of rights by assigning survey no. wherein SWR were in possession of some land though surveyed but was not assigned survey numbers. “Therefore no rights were created in the nature of form-D in respect of land in ‘possession’ and ‘occupation’ of the SWR. The villagers who have title documents to this land dating back to pre-liberation era have contested the claim of the SWR and the same is being heard at the court of the ISLR,” he said.
Orville said that the SWR through its contractor RVNL has been criminally trespassing in this land which the villagers have considered as their Right Of Way (ROW) since the 1800s. “Despite not having title documents, SWR has encroached into the private properties and commenced construction of the second railway track at Primeirovaddo, Velsao, blocking off the access to several heritage homes in the area, with cars blocked in their compounds. The residents have already filed the suit at the District Court, Margao, hoping for a favourable verdict in their favour,” he said.
