the goan I network
SANGUEM
Jubilant after the proposed IIT project was moved out of Cotarli village in Sanguem taluka, a group of farmers from Cotarli, Nagvem and Zanodem conducted a litany at the Holy Cross in Kharkhatiaghati-Sanguem to thank the almighty and all those who rallied behind them in opposing the project.
Special ‘Thank You’ banners were also erected near the Holy Cross and in the town area, thanking the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for his decision to shift the project to Guleli, the media and NGOs for highlighting the issue.
The farmers pointed out that if the government had paid heed to the claims and projections made by Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar, a large number of people from Sanguem and Quepem would have lost their ancestral farmland and paddy fields.
They claimed that over 9 lakh square metres of pristine land full of flora and fauna and a hillock which is home to wildlife would have been destroyed and turned into a concrete jungle.
The grateful farmers, who gathered for the litany, praised the Chief Minister for his ‘wise decision’ despite pressure from the local MLA to get the project housed in Sanguem.
While farmers from Sanguem had strongly objected to the project, the local MLA had made several projections to the government in a bid to push for the IIT project in the village. The Chief Minister, however, later decided to shift the project to an open space at Guleli-Sattari, where it has been welcomed by the locals.
