MARGAO
The night was rippled with anxiety as well as excitement. No one had the clear indications how developments will unfold in Chandor -- the State's ancient capital, known for its heritage houses and village look.
The midnight showdown was expected around 00.00 hours, the time when the railways were scheduled to close the Chandor railway crossing and lay the controversial double track as per the District Collector's order.
Protesters, however, began pouring into the village as early as 10 pm on Sunday night near the Chandor church. Soon, the venue turned into a sea of candles, with hundreds of protesters descending in the village after a journey, wending through the villages of Davorlim and Curtorim and Sao Jose de Areal and Guddi.
With candles in their hands, the protesters sang songs and shouted slogans. The entire atmosphere was charged up as anti-track doubling and coal transportation slogans rent the air.
Banners and placards opposing the ill-conceived projects made their presence felt all around place.
As the clock ticked to the midnight, and in anticipation of the railways going ahead with the planned work, the entire area roared against coal transportation and track doubling, besides other projects, with the protesters in one voice demanding their immediate scrapping.
At the Chandor railway crossing, one could not come across any activity from the railway side. Unlike on October 28 when the level crossing at Nessai in Sao Jose de Areal village had witnessed movement of both men, machinery and construction materials, ahead of the track doubling work, no such activity was noticed near the Chandor railway level crossing.
By midnight, it became clear that the railways had backtracked on their plan to lay the double track at Chandor.
But organizations spearheading the anti-coal and double tracking projects, including Goyant Kollso Naka and Goencho Awaz and the protesters, however, decided to continue their vigil through the night to convey the government that the people of Goa will fight tooth and nail till these controversial projects are shelved and scrapped.
