MARGAO
With Goyant Kollso Naka’s 48-hour deadline expiring on Thursday without evoking any government response, anti-coal and anti-double tracking protestors are bracing up to serve the people’s stop-work order on the authorities, including the Railways to stop work on the project.
The GKN had on Tuesday morning served a 48-hour deadline on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to issue a stop-work order on the Railways to stop the ongoing track doubling work. As the 48-hour deadline ends on Thursday, anti-coal protestors are believed to have taken stock of the situation, and it was decided that the people of Goa would now do it’s Constitutional duty of issuing the stop-work order for an immediate halt to the work.
GKN co-convenor Abhijit Prabhudesdai told The Goan on Thursday that it’s indeed sad that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant did not respond to the demand of the Goyant Kollso Naka by issuing an order to stop the ongoing track doubling works. “When a delegation of the Goyant Kollso Naka had called on the Chief Minister a week ago, he had supported our demand that all ongoing track doubling works should be stopped in the Goa stretch of the Railways. However, the Chief Minister has not acted to bring the work to a halt on the ground,” he said.
Abhijit added: “People are very much upset that their own government is not supporting them by stopping the ongoing track doubling works. They have been made to wonder whether the government exists or has gone on a sleep mode.”
He, however, pointed out that the government’s apathy and indifference will not matter for the people, who are out to save the State and its environment for the posterity. “In a democratic set up, people’s power is supreme. Hence, the people have decided to issue a stop-work order to all the authorities to immediately halt all work on the track doubling project.”
GKN co-convenor Xavier Fernadnes meanwhile has slammed the government for not stopping the ongoing track doubling works despite the fact that the Supreme Court has revoked the wildlife approval.
