Farmers go on a sit-in agitation at Dando to oppose IIT project

“The sit-in agitation will continue for days to come till all farmers adopt a future course of action,” informed one of the agitating farmers.

Upset over action by the government to impose Section 144 within the proposed IIT site, the farmers reiterated that their agitation against the proposed IIT at Cotarli village in Sanguem would continue.

The sit-in agitation began after the Monday’s hearing in the matter which was filed against the agitating farmers before the Deputy Collector Sanguem. The hearing was adjourned as the Presiding Officer was busy with other some other official work.

The farmers at the sit-in agitation displayed placards against the government and its intentions to destroy farmlands at Cotarli-Sanguem and also to deny farmers their rights to agitate to protect their farmlands and pristine agricultural land at Cotarli.

Later on Monday evening, the farmers convened a corner meeting at Molcornem, the first such meet after the imposition of Section 144 within the precincts of proposed site for IIT at Cotarli village.

The meeting was attended by dozens of farmers, despite being conducted at a short notice.

During the corner meeting, the agitating farmers made it amply clear that they would not bow down to the government pressure of silencing their voices.

They insisted that the proposed project would destroy farmlands and other plantations at Cotarli village.

The farmers claimed there are enough abandoned rocky lands available elsewhere and the government could easily get the project commissioned on these abandoned lands.

The speakers said the farmers did not oppose the IIT project but wanted it to be shifted elsewhere in the taluka where vast barren lands are available that could be easily utilised for the project.

The speakers warned the government of a severe agitation if it still continued to go ahead with the project at Cotarli village, despite the stiff opposition from the farming community.