Farmers apprehend dumped debris may block flow of water during ensuing monsoons
MARGAO
The Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has got a 10-day deadline from the South Goa Additional Collector Srinet Kothawale to lift the debris dumped near the Majorda subway.
The directions came after the Additional Collector, South had a meeting with the Majorda panchayat members, farmers and the local Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira at the district Collectorate, South. They later headed to Majorda to conduct a site inspection, wherein Kothawale told the railway officials to clear the debris within 10 days.
The Nuvem MLA also told the railway officials in clear terms to lift away the debris within the 10-day deadline set by the Additional Collector.
The panchayat members are also believed to have raised the question of constructing a subway at the Utorda railway crossing for movement of vehicular traffic.
Majorda panchayat members along with farmers had expressed concern that the debris dumped near the Majorda subway may block the flow of water in the coming monsoons and inundate the low-lying fields.
In fact, the locals including the Majorda Bio-diversity Management Committee had raised questions around a fortnight ago whether the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd was planning a third track in the village, or whether the debris dumped along the railway tracks is done to have a coal hub in the future or is the dumping activity taking place to shift the railway station or the railway staff quarters.
The people were further agitated since there was no communique received from the district Collector for over a month since the Majorda Bio-diversity Management Committee had filed a petition before the Collectorate for necessary action.
The RVNL officials told the authorities that the Railways has been working at the site to pave the way for the laying of the third track at Majorda. They pointed out that the Majorda section already plays host to two tracks, one laid by the South Western Railway and the other by the Konkan Railway, adding that the RNVL is laying the second track as part of the track doubling project.
