MARGAO
Villagers of Curtorim and adjoining villages on Sunday came out in strong opposition to the government’s plan to set up an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp on the Leprosy hospital land in the village, as they vowed to oppose the project tooth and nail.
Hundreds of hands went up in support of a resolution demanding the scrapping of the IRB project on the Leprosy hospital land. The villagers demanded that the sprawling land admeasuring over a lakh square metres be utilised for health projects and projects beneficial to the Curtorim and neighbouring villages. A resolution was also adopted to hand over the cemetery and the Chapel inside the Leprosy hospital land to the Carmel Chapel Fabrica.
While Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, Curtorim Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues, deputy sarpanch Simon Baretto, Curtorim ZP member Michele Rebello, former ZP Moreno Rebello and others from Curtorim were present for the meeting, sarpanch of Macazana Caetano Vaz and panchayat members, besides deputy sarpanch of Guirdolim Brian Pereira along with couple of panchayat members attended the meeting.
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha, who hails from Curtorim, sent a message to the Curtorim Sarpanch extending his support to the agitation against the IRB camp proposed in the village.
In his address, MLA Reginaldo said he would stand by the people of Curtorim in opposing the project tooth and nail. Expressing satisfaction that the people of neighbouring villages of Macazana and Guirdolim have lent their support to the agitation, Reginaldo asserted that the people of the three villages will not allow the IRB camp to come up on the land.
Explaining the people that he had taken up the people’s opposition with both former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar and incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the MLA said the government should try to get a health facility on the leprosy hospital land instead of setting up a police camp in the midst of a residential locality.
“The DGP had called me for discussion on the issue when the demarcation work had started. The DGP told me that the Police Department will utilise only 40,000 square metres of land out of the one lakh square metres. I would like to tell the DGP that the people are not against the IRB camp, but it should come up in a central located land and not in a residential locality of Curtorim,” he said.
Curtorim Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues lamented that the government kept the panchayat totally in the dark and tried to demarcate the hospital land without consulting the local body. “People of Curtorim are of the firm opinion that no IRB camp should come up on the leprosy hospital land. The land should be utilised for projects beneficial to the villagers,” the sarpanch said.
Ex-Zilla Panchayat member Moreno Rebello said the people have opposed the IRB camp in the village and have demanded handing over the cemetery and the Chapel inside the hospital land to the Fabrica of the Carmel Chapel.
Curtorim ZP member Michele Rebello said the leprosy hospital land, which was donated by a Goan family decades ago, should be utilised either to set up a health project or projects which would create employment for the youth of Curtorim and neighbouring villagers.
Curtorim deputy Sarpanch Simon Barretto, former Curtorim Sarpanch Rui Menezes have extended their full support to the agitation.
Sarpanch Milagres Rodrigues later told the media that the panchayat will meet later this week to chalk out the future course of action and to convene the village gram sabha to oppose the project.
