MARGAO
Anti-track doubling protesters forced the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) to stop work on the project on the Chandor-Guirdolim stretch on Friday after they exposed the railways of having buried a rivulet of River Zuari with debris while executing the track laying work.
While RVNL officials initially refused to stop the ongoing work, saying they will keep the work on hold only if they receive instructions from the government, officials later relented and agreed to stop the work on the stretch till the joint meeting between the officials and the local villagers takes place on Saturday morning.
At one stage, the two sides appeared headed for a confrontation after RVNL General Manager S B Sahoo refused to stop the work saying the railways are armed with permission from the government of India.
The protesters from Guirdolim, Chandor and other villages from South Goa replied saying the people constitute the government and insisted that the railways pay heed to their demand to stop the work till such time the two parties hold a meeting and share documents on the ongoing work, including the dumping of debris in the rivulet.
Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to RVNL General manager, S B Sahoo, John Shilshi assured the agitators that the railways will clear the debris from the water body and restore the river by abandoning plans for a road along the tracks. Welcoming the Shilsi’s statement, the protesters, however, remained steadfast to their demand to stop all work on the project till the debris from the water body is cleared by RVNL.
Shilshi finally announced the decision that the railways have decided to stop the work till the joint meeting with the villagers takes place at the Guirdolim panchayat on Saturday. “Out of respect to the sentiments of the villagers, the RVNL has decided to stop ongoing work at the site till the meeting takes place on Saturday”, Shilshi announced.
The inspection was called by the villagers with the RVNL officials as the protesters claimed the railways have buried a rivulet of River Zuari with the construction debris. As the inspection began, former Guirdolim Sarpanch Agostinho Antao drew the attention of RVNL general manager Sahoo and John Shilshi how a portion of the rivulet has disappeared under the construction debris.
Heated arguments ensured between the protesters and the railway officials after a railway official maintained that the railways have acquired the land in question, with the villagers questioning whether the railways have received the sanction to bury rivulets and water bodies to lay the track.
The protesters also suspected that the RVNL is also building a road along the track to link the same to the Kushavati river, to meet the future plans for coal transportation.
The RVNL General manager, Sahoo informed that the railways have planned to build two railway tracks on either side of the existing two tracks as part of the track doubling project. “We have filled up the area to build a retaining wall, followed by the construction of the track. The debris from the water body will be removed and a drain will be constructed for the water flow”, Sahoo said, while saying the railways will retain the road plan if the villagers want the same.
The protesters, however, rejected Sahoo’s assurance to construct a drain for the water flow, demanding to know whether a rivulet can fit into the proposed drain. Guirdolim Sarpanch Janet Cardozo and deputy Sarpanch Brian Pereira demanded that the railways restored the water body to its original condition.
