The villagers demanded to know how work on land filling could begin without the contractor putting up boards which have permissions sought from various departments for the activity. When a senior PWD engineer defended the action saying that all approvals have been obtained by the authorities before undertaking the work, the agitated villagers demanded that the department put up boards at respective locations informing the public of the nature of the work in progress.Raising apprehensions that the massive land filling would result in unprecedented flooding in the villages of Seraulim, Nuvem and Benaulim, villagers pleaded with the PWD officials to opt for an elevated highway all along the route. The senior PWD engineer turned down the requests of the villagers for an elevated highway, saying the cost of the project would go up nearly 10 times.The villagers questioned the PWD engineers to produce the Environmental Impact Assessment study carried out by the authorities for the land filing as well as for cutting down the nearby hillock for extraction of mud.Village Sarpanch Leslie Dourado told the media that the Seraulim panchayat had already made a letter to the PWD to scrap the land filling activity and instead go for an elevated highway. “Villagers are not opposed to the bypass or development. But we are certain that land filling will definitely trigger floods in the village and nearby areas. That s the reason why the villagers have suggested to the authorities to go for an elevated highway,” Dourado said.Dourado made it clear that he would stand by the villagers demand. The villagers also demanded the presence of Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva, even as a Colva police team made its presence felt at the site as a precautionary measure.
Seraulim villagers up in arms over land filling
MARGAO Agitated residents of Seraulim and nearby villagers on Sunday made the contractor assigned the work of construction of western bypass to remove a piped culvert and also clear an area filled with mud as they feared large-scale flooding of low-lying areas in the village.
