MARGAO
Supreme Court’s affirmation of the Central Empowered Committee’s recommendations on the double-tracking project has come at a time when the Railway Vikas Nigam Ltd has completed and commissioned the 15-km stretch of the Margao-Sanvordem line recently.
Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court ruling, the project along the Majorda-Vasco section, between Sanvordem-Colem-Castle Rock stretch now hangs in balance. Of these two stretches, the Majorda-Vasco stretch has evoked strong objections from the people, right from Majorda, Cansaulim, Arossim and beyond, with the project coming in for strong opposition from the local populace.
A senior RVNL official informed that the Margao-Sanvordem stretch, passing through the villages of Chandor, Sao Jose de Areal and Davorlim, which was the epicenter of the anti-coal and anti-track doubling project, is complete in all respects. “This section has already received the safety clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety. When this stretch is fully electrified, the RVNL will again obtain the CRS nod to run trains on electricity,” the official said.
The official added that the RVNL has almost completed work on the Sanvordem-Colem stretch.
The RVNL had taken up the track-doubling project in phases, between Sanvordem and Margao and Majorda and Vasco. The Margao-Majorda section already has a double track laid by the Konkan Railway Corporation.
Sources in the know say the RVNL went about the track-doubling project in the Railways property which was already acquired years ago. The Railways then approached the private land owners along the line with land procurement by offering attractive rates towards the laying of the double track. Attribute it to a strategy or to avoid the time consuming land acquisition policy, the RVNL decided to invoke the Railways Act as a last resort in many places when consent from the land owners was not forthcoming.
While many owners could not resist the offer and handed over their land to the Railways, others refused to part with their land, leaving the Railways with no option than to invoke the Railways Act.
While the track doubling project evoked opposition in many quarters in the villages of Chandor, Sao Jose de Areal, Davorlim, Majorda, Cansaulim, etc, the agitation received a big boost after thousands of people from the nook and corner of Goa descended on the Chandor railway tracks on the midnight of November 1-2, 2020 to say no to the three linear projects.
Thousands of people had descended at the Chandor railway crossing on November 1-2, 2020 to register their symbolic protest against the track doubling project when the RVNL had planned to lay a double track at the crossing.
Will study SC ruling and act accordingly: RVNL
MARGAO: When the Supreme Court appointed-Central Empowered Committee (CEC) had submitted its recommendations to the Apex Court last year, questioning the logic behind pursuing the double tracking project, the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd had maintained that the CEC had only made the recommendations and that the court has not stayed the project.
With questions on everybody’s mind now whether all work on the project will now come to a halt with the Supreme Court affirming the CEC’s recommendations, officials of the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd say the Railways will first study the project before taking a decision.
When The Goan called up a senior RVNL official to know whether the Railways will now stop all track doubling work underway on the Goa sector, the official said the Railways will study the Supreme Court ruling and act accordingly. “The Supreme Court today gave its ruling on the track doubling project by affirming the recommendations made by the CEC. We will examine the Court order and act accordingly,” the official added.
Last time round, when the CEC had submitted its report to the Apex Court with the recommendations, questioning the logic behind the track doubling project, the RVNL had maintained that no stay has been granted on the ongoing work.
In fact, if sources are to be believed, the Railways had tried to expedite work on the project on the Goa sector.
