PANAJI
The State government has finally stepped in to examine the contentious House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoAL) project at Sarvan-Karapur, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assuring protesting villagers that all legal, environmental and administrative aspects of the project will be scrutinised and their interests protected.
Sawant, however, stopped short of ordering an immediate halt to the project, stating that the government could not simply stop a project at this stage. At the same time, he directed officials to examine the project documents, permissions and issues raised by the villagers.
“Whatever can be done in the interest of the villagers will be done,” Sawant assured representatives of the protestors. The assurance came amid mounting opposition from locals, who have raised three key demands concerning the proposed development.
The chief minister held a meeting with representatives of the agitating villagers, including social worker Swapnesh Sherlekar and environmental activist Abhijit Prabhudesai, following the escalating concerns over the project, a day after he assured the House to meet the protesting villagers. The villagers have been protesting for the past 150 days against the proposed project. Sawant also pointed out that proceedings related to the project are pending before the National Green Tribunal and the courts. Referring to the issues raised by locals are concerns relating to access, land and rights under the Mundkar Act, the Chief Minister said the Sub-Divisional Magistrate had already been directed to address some of these concerns within the next two days.
The protesters have also flagged the potential environmental impact of the project and sought stronger government intervention. Their immediate demand remains a stay on the project. During the meeting, Prabhudesai brought to the notice of the Chief Minister that the project, spread over more than 50 hectares, requires prior environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification. He alleged that work was continuing without the mandatory clearance. Meanwhile, Sherlekar informed the Chief Minister that women participating in the agitation had received notices from Maharashtra Police directing them to appear for questioning. Sawant reportedly advised them not to travel to Maharashtra and assured them that the Goa Police would be directed to look into the matter.
