MARGAO
In an unprecedented situation, anti-coal protestors under the banner of “People of Goa” on Friday “assumed” powers of the government to serve stop work order on the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) to stop the ongoing track doubling works on the Goa sector between Culem and Vasco.
Goyant Kollso Naka Co-convenor Abhijit Prabhudesai told media after serving the stop work order notice on the RVNL staff at the Margao office on Friday morning that the people of Goa have been forced to take the unprecedented step as it is apparent that the Goa government has been “kidnapped” by the coal corporates and has gone missing.
“It appears the government has been kidnapped by the Coal corporates and has gone missing. Even the Union government has been kidnapped by the corporates as evident by a Union Minister asking people to welcome coal and the double tracking project. The Chief Minister as well as the 36 MLAs had promised to stop the work, but in vain. We have been trying to contact the Chief Minister, but he has not been responding. In this situation, the people of Goa has been left with no option than to discharge their constitutional and democratic duty to protect the interest of the State and the posterity”, Abhijit told the media.
Asked to outline the future course of action after serving the stop work order notice, Abhjijit said “People in the villages will discuss and decide the future course of action. We have just served the stop work order and will now wait for the railways to respond. May be they will stop the ongoing work. May be the stop work order will open the eyes of the “kidnapped” Chief Minister and the “missing” government after this action by the people”, he said.
He added: “We are confident that the railways will leave behind the colonial history and respect Indian democracy and the Constitution and stop the work. We have been trying to contact the railway officials, but they have not responded. We want to send a clear message that people will not retreat, but will force the railways to stop the work. If the work continues, people will take whatever democratic and constitutional and peaceful means to save the State”.
When the delegation of anti-coal protestors, including Abhijit, Diana Tavares, Xavier Fernandes, Zarinha da Cunha and others came to the RVNL Margao office to hand over the stop work order, no officer was found in the office. A railway staffer hesitated to accept the stop work order and called up his seniors how to go about the situation. The protestors told the staffer to give in writing why he is not accepting the stop work order, only to later relent to inward the stop work order.
Copies of the stop work will also be sent to RVNL and the South Western Railway by registered post, the activists stated.
