MARGAO
All roads lead to Sao Jose de Areal as the stage is set for the demarcation of the railway land at the Nessai railway crossing on Monday morning at 10, even as the villagers have planned a peaceful protest at the site against double tracking.
Activist Freddy Travasso has appealed to every individual to join the protest at the Nessai railway crossing on Monday at 10 am, saying the panchayat and the villagers have adopted several resolutions against double tracking since 2013 till date.
“The villagers have decided to protest on Monday morning at the Nessai railway crossing since they and the panchayat had adopted a host of resolutions against the double tracking project,” Freddy said, while making an appeal to the people to come in large numbers and show their solidarity with the villagers.
The land demarcation near the Nessai level crossing has been fixed for Monday morning after the villagers and the Areal panchayat body had disputed the claims made by the Railways on the land acquisition near the crossing.
In fact, tension had rent the air near the Nessai railway crossing last week after the Railways tried to resume work of excavation near the level crossing with armed protection from the Railway Protection Force, only to be stopped by the villagers and the local panchayat body.
Both the panchayat body and the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd had later agreed to engage their respective surveyors for the proposed demarcation near the railway crossing on Monday morning.
Sao Jose de Areal had been the flash point between the villagers and the railways over the last one month, with the villagers and the panchayat body getting the work stopped at the Nessai railway crossing on land issues.
In fact, the Areal panchayat had a month ago issued a stop work order to the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd to stop work at the Nessai railway crossing, with the RVNL filing a firm reply that the railways need not obtain prior permission for railway works under the Railway Act.
