VASCO
Velsao villagers turned out in large numbers on Friday to confront contractors of the Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and stopped the demarcation work for double tracking project.
There was a huge police force, including Railway Police, present at the site to avoid any law and order situation.
Later in the day, the Mamlatdar also visited the site and checked for approvals and documents of the railways but the villagers did not allow the railways to carry out the work citing that they could not carry out a survey in private property that had not been acquired for the project.
Cortalim Congress leader Olencio Simoes accused RVNL contractors of trespassing in private property and houses of the villagers without informing the owners, authorities concerned or the local Velsao Pale Issorcim panchayat.
"RVNL authorities have started demarcating land for double tracking without land acquisition and forcefully entering into our properties and installing barbed wire fencing thereby blocking the right of access to the houses and properties. The land acquisition was opposed in the past right from 2008, and now once again landowners have opposed the same land acquisition for doubling of railway tracks," said Simoes.
Founder of Goencho Ekvott Orville Dourado Rodrigues warned the government that if such development is forced against the wishes of the people of Velsao or Goa, they will be forced to mobilise thousands of people to come on the streets.
