Sanguem
Villagers of Sanvordem today strongly repeated their demand to stop the construction of the bhandara at Mirabag in their village.
At a Gram Sabha held in the village, they raised concerns and asked the panchayat how the work was allowed even though they had opposed it earlier and passed a resolution against it in a previous meeting.
Many villagers expressed fear that the bhandara would harm their homes and farmlands. They also questioned who would really benefit from the project. Warning of a bigger protest, the villagers demanded that all panchayat members resign if the work is not stopped. They said most people in the village are against the project.
Panchayat member Sanjay Naik told the villagers that the panchayat had already informed the Water Resources Department (WRD) about their objections and had also issued a stop-work order. But the WRD ignored this order. He added that the matter had been taken to the Deputy Collector of Sanguem, who told the WRD to listen to the villagers before moving ahead.
Despite this, the WRD reportedly went ahead with the construction, ignoring both the panchayat and the Deputy Collector’s instructions.
Naik promised the villagers that he would now involve Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar and also meet Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to discuss the matter.
However, the villagers were not satisfied and asked if the government was trying to disturb the peaceful life of their village.
They also said that the construction of the bhandara would badly affect the people living in the nearby Soliem ward of Curchorem-Cacora Municipality and the Mugoli ward of Uguem village panchayat. These areas lie along the Zuari River, and the villagers warned that once the bhandara is built, it would lead to flooding and damage to plantations in these areas during high tide.
