MARGAO
Uproar and tension rent the air at Chandor-Guirdolim after angry villagers physically stopped a fleet of trucks laden with mud from filling up a lake and Church property, leaving the Railways officials to beat a retreat.
As the villagers stood their ground, insisting that the Railways first produce the land acquisition order and permissions obtained from other bodies, the Maina Curtorim police told the railway officials to forthwith stop the work. The resumption of the work will now depend on the production of documents by the Railways before the Maina Curtorim police on Monday.
Angry villagers assembled near the worksite to stop the ongoing landfilling works after they contended that the land in question, both belonging to the Church and other private owners, have not yet been acquired by the Railways.
What infuriated the villagers of Chandor and Guirdolim was the indiscriminate filing up of the Nagozon lake with mud and other industrial rejects by the Railways.
Chairperson of Guirdolim Bio-diversity Management Committee Agostine Antao and villagers later lodged a police complaint with the Maina Curtorim police objecting to the landfilling of the low lying paddy fields in the land bearing survey no 272 of Guirdolim and the Nagozon water lake by dumping mud and industrial rejects. They feared that the dumping of mud and rejects will block the flow of water into the Kushavati rivulet, apprehending that this would only submerge the Folli ward in Guirdolim village.
Incidentally, Agostine recalled that former South Goa Collector Ajit Roy in 2018 had asked the Railways not to block the flow of water from the lake.
“Last time around, the Railways had assured that no more landfilling will be done. But, the Railways within two days, on December 10-11, has filled up the lake and the low lying paddy fields with mud”, the complaint stated.
Maina Curtorim police team that rushed to the spot told the Railways to stop the work fearing a law and order situation. The police have directed the Railway officials to produce the documents, including land acquisition before resuming work at the site.
Chandor Sarpanch Edward D’Silva told the police that the Railways will have to bear the cost of removing the mud and silt from the water body. He demanded the registration of an FIR against the Railway officials for devastating the water bodies and the low lying fields.
Guirdolim panch Jose Antao demanded to know from the railway officials why they have still not produced the documents vis-Ã -vis land acquisition and the Railways plan at Guirdolim-Chandor.
Incidentally, the attorney of the Chandor Church Fabric Darwin Cardozo questioned the Railway officials for bulldozing with the landfilling works when the land in question belonging to the Church is still not acquired to date. Saying the Fabrica had challenged the land acquisition before the Deputy Collector, Vasco, Darwin wondered how come the Railways start work when the land in question has not been acquired to date.
“When we arrived this morning, we came across around 100 trucks laden with mud heading to the site through the Church property to carry out the landfilling. This is totally in violation of law”, he asserted.
A supervisor informed the villagers that the Railways are not mandated to seek permission from local bodies before starting any work, saying he will check with the office of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, whether the land in question is acquired or not.
