SANGUEM
Agitated over frequent statements by Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and recent statement by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that the government is firm on the IIT project in Sanguem, a group of farmers on Tuesday confronted survey officials undertaking demarcation process at the proposed IIT site in Cotarli-Sanguem.
The farmers sought to know from officials over the authority which directed them to conduct the survey and demarcation process.
The officials informed the farmers that they had received an order from the Office of the Collector but could not produce the order and claimed they had left in the office.
A farmer, Joseph Fernandes, asked the surveyors to produce relevant documents to conduct the survey operations and the team claimed the documents were in possession with the other team working at the other end of the survey operations.
The farmers accused Phaldessai of making false statements and dared him to tour the proposed site with them, but without using government machinery.
While retreating that opposition to the project will continue and that the farmers will not allow the proposed project to come at Cotarli Village, the farmers warned the government not to take up their demands lightly.
“If needed, we will not hesitate to agitate on a mass scale,” warned Fernandes.
Shortly after farmers confronted the surveyors, a police team reached at the site and are reported to have asked the farmers to go to the police station. The farmers, however, declined to do so on grounds that no official summons were issued to them.
