MARGAO
The controversial truck terminus at Madel and the transportation centre proposed opposite the Margao railway station may have been down and out following public outcry after the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) had two decades ago forcibly acquired the lush green fields for the projects.
The sword of Damocles, however, continues to hang over the heads of the beleaguered farmers of Madel as well as Rawanfond as they continue to wage a sustained battle for the return of the fields of their ancestors.
The then BJP government and the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) had around two decades ago forcibly acquired the agricultural fields at Madel for the controversial truck terminus and the fields opposite the Margao railway station to set up a transportation centre.
GSUDA which was headed by then Urban Development Minister Digambar Kamat had also acquired the parcel of land near the KTC bus stand to set up an exhibition ground by acquiring agricultural fields.
Indeed a casual visit to Madel and the area opposite the Margao railway station now reveals that the acquired fields at Madel and opposite the railway station are now city’s green zone amidst acres of concrete jungle dotting the commercial capital. On paper, the zones of these fields may have been changed from agriculture to special commercial zones since the time of their acquisition, but they constitute the city’s lungs for the urban dwellers.
In fact, a farmer pointed out that the lush green agricultural fields at Madel and opposite the Margao railway station would have been converted into transportation hubs had the farmers not waged a sustained agitation backed by people from all walks of life to oppose the two projects.
The truck terminus at Madel was opposed by the local residents on the ground that the terminus would give rise to prostitution and anti-social activities right in their backyard, forcing the then government to beat a hasty retreat.
As far as the transportation centre proposed opposite the Margao railway station is concerned, farmers and the local residents of Rawanfond and Navelim had opposed the project on the plea the lush green cultivated fields is not the right place to set up a transportation centre. In fact, the farmers had scuttled plans by the Congress government headed by then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to rehabilitate kiosk owners displayed by the widening of the Rawanfond traffic junction, on grounds it would pave the way for a migrant colony in the agricultural fields.
The controversial truck terminus came to fore on Wednesday after Margao MLA Digambar Kamat went to the town, saying the burning issue of truck parking would have been resolved if the controversial truck terminus was implemented at the acquired fields at Madel-Fatorda around two decades ago.
