MARGAO
With the Railways invoking the Railway Act and the Water Resources department (WRD) quoting provisions of the Goa Irrigation Act to stop work on the track doubling project at Guirdolim, a joint site inspection by the two agencies has been proposed next week to end the deadlock over the burying of the rivulet and damage caused to the sluice gate.
A day after the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) rejected the contention of the WRD to stop work on the project at Guirdolim, WRD officials are believed to have dashed off a letter to the RVNL General Manager (Projects), S B Sahoo seeking joint inspection of the work site at Guirdolim to resolve all the issues in question.
In his letter, WRD Executive Engineer, Ankush Gaonkar has called for a joint inspection of the rivulet at Guirdolim, which has been buried with mud while executing work on laying the double track. The senior WRD official is believed to have suggested for a joint inspection of the site since the RVNL has also raised an old issue, which is not directly connected to the later row over filing up of the rivulet and damage to sluice gate.
Sources in RVNL informed that the Railways will in most probably reciprocate the offer made by the WRD for a joint inspection of the work site to address all the issues raised by the villagers. The RVNL had on Wednesday invoked provisions of the Railway Act to send a clear message to the WRD that the Railways are exempted from taking up works in an acquired land.
The Goan understands that concerned villagers are also believed to have kept Salcete lone Minister, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, who presides over the WRD portfolio, in the loop to ensure that the Railways do not go scot-free after filling up the water body and damaging the sluice gate.
Meanwhile, Cuncolim MLA Clafacio Dias has lodged a complaint against a woman from Chandor for allegedly using abusing language against him and issuing threats in a video.
The Cuncolim MLA lodged his complaint with the Maina-Curtorim Police alleging that the video in question is being circulated on the social media including WhatsApp and Facebook.
He alleged that the woman has shown in the video his interaction with the villagers of Guirdolim, Chandor, WRD officials, Guirdolim panchayat members and railway officials and is allegedly misguiding the people by accusing him for not resolving the issue, when in reality that the issue came to a conclusion because of his interaction.
The Maina-Curtorim Police were discussing the matter with police higher-ups how to go about the complaint lodged by the MLA.
