MAPUSA
Even as the opposition on Monday grilled the government on the contentious railway double tracking project in the Goa Legislative Assembly and demanded its scrapping, the government maintained that the project was for expansion of railway line and not for coal transportation.
Making a forceful demand for scrapping of the project, Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said several compound walls and verandahs of heritage houses will have to be demolished besides leading to the destruction of villages through the filling of fields and blocking of water bodies in order to make way for the double tracking project.
He said former CM Manohar Parrikar in 2013 had opposed the project stating that it would not benefit the State in any way.
He further said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral during one of the inspections also expressed shock about the damage the project would cause to the houses in Arossim, Cansaulim other surrounding villages but the acquisition of land has been going on without taking the people into confidence.
“When even the Supreme Court has ruled against the double tracking project, why is the government insisting on going ahead with the work? It is not profitable to the State and therefore has to be scrapped,” Sardesai said, while jointly raising the issue with Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the House that 75 percent of the double tracking work has been completed in the State. He also said that the government was ready to compensate if anyone came with claims for settlement.
“We do not want to destroy any heritage houses. We will preserve the heritage and carry out double tracking. We do not want coal. We are not doing it for coal,” Sawant reiterated.
Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira questioned the logic of continuing the work in the plains when the SC has banned the project through the ghat section.
“The ghat section is the link to connect Karnataka. If that cannot be done, then why are you carrying out the work at the lower point? Scrap the project,” Ferreira demanded.
The chief minister retorted that the government was taking up the work in areas where there is no ban from the SC.
Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa expressed surprise that cadastral plans of areas in Velsao, Arrosim and other areas have mysteriously disappeared and wondered whether the department officers were responsible to deliberately remove the plans.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas urged the government not to go ahead with the balance 25 per cent work and the double track could be allowed to merge with the existing single track.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said that from day one this government was desperate to complete the double tracking project only for coal transport.
Earlier, Revenue Minister Anatasio (Babush) Monseratte informed that the government had directed to conduct a survey of two cities “ Vasco and Margao and 27 villages in order to prepare a record of rights.
The government said this was necessary because certain lands were in possession of the South Western Railway which was shown in the survey plan but were not assigned any survey numbers and hence no record of rights was created.
