VASCO
A delegation of Congress leaders comprising GPCC President Amit Patkar, Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa and Dabolim leader Captain Viriato Fernandes visited Velsao on Friday morning to extend support to the villagers agitating against the double tracking projects.
The Congress demanded the resignation of local Cortalim MLA Anton Vas for failing to support the locals and for forcing the double tracking project on the villagers against their wishes.
Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa told reporters that they had arrived as Goans and not as politicians.
"We are here because of the love for our land and to support Goans who are fighting against mass destruction of this State. We have tried to explain that the second railway tracks are being placed without land acquisition and the railways will again want to put a third new track in the future," said D’Costa.
GPCC President Amit Patkar said the dy collector himself had assured to come to the site for a joint inspection but had not arrived.
“This proves that the government is controlling and misusing the government machinery to its benefit. The dy collector has now said that he will send his team instead of coming here on the site. The elected MLA Anton Vas is also missing and he should have been present here to solve their issues. The 33 BJP MLAs including the Cortalim MLA Anton Vas supporting the Government must resign immediately for having failed to address the issues of the people," said Patkar.
Dabolim Congress leader Captain Viriato Fernandes said most houses in the area were built before the Railways could lay their tracks.
“These tracks were laid by the East India Company in 1889 without land acquisition in the Portuguese era. The Portuguese government had approached these land owners and the land owners had agreed to offer their property to lay these tracks and technically, the ownership is still with these villagers who owned the property.”
“The railways have now decided to forcibly have a second track in the property of these people and the people along with local elected panch members have only demanded the railways to bring their ownership documents.”
“The Government wants to forcibly place the second track without showing ownership documents to the people,” said Capt. Fernandes.
‘Let dy collector show people the plans’
VASCO: Velsao Sarpanch Diana Gouveia said villagers had turned to the panchayat for help after they faced problems.
"We are elected representatives and we have all the right to fight for our villagers. We had received a complaint that the Railways have encroached into private properties and we issued a stop-work notice to them. It is the duty of the dy Collector to come on the ground and see the reality but he is telling the railway authorities to carry out the works even without a plan. Let him come here and show the people the plans and documents so that people are aware and we can take necessary action accordingly. He is putting everyone in a mess and he has not come here when he himself fixed the timing and said that he will come here," said Gouveia.
The Congress demanded the resignation of local Cortalim MLA Anton Vas for failing to support the locals and for forcing the double tracking project on the villagers against their wishes.
Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa told reporters that they had arrived as Goans and not as politicians.
"We are here because of the love for our land and to support Goans who are fighting against mass destruction of this State. We have tried to explain that the second railway tracks are being placed without land acquisition and the railways will again want to put a third new track in the future," said D’Costa.
GPCC President Amit Patkar said the dy collector himself had assured to come to the site for a joint inspection but had not arrived.
“This proves that the government is controlling and misusing the government machinery to its benefit. The dy collector has now said that he will send his team instead of coming here on the site. The elected MLA Anton Vas is also missing and he should have been present here to solve their issues. The 33 BJP MLAs including the Cortalim MLA Anton Vas supporting the Government must resign immediately for having failed to address the issues of the people," said Patkar.
Dabolim Congress leader Captain Viriato Fernandes said most houses in the area were built before the Railways could lay their tracks.
“These tracks were laid by the East India Company in 1889 without land acquisition in the Portuguese era. The Portuguese government had approached these land owners and the land owners had agreed to offer their property to lay these tracks and technically, the ownership is still with these villagers who owned the property.”
“The railways have now decided to forcibly have a second track in the property of these people and the people along with local elected panch members have only demanded the railways to bring their ownership documents.”
“The Government wants to forcibly place the second track without showing ownership documents to the people,” said Capt. Fernandes.
‘Let dy collector show people the plans’
VASCO: Velsao Sarpanch Diana Gouveia said villagers had turned to the panchayat for help after they faced problems.
"We are elected representatives and we have all the right to fight for our villagers. We had received a complaint that the Railways have encroached into private properties and we issued a stop-work notice to them. It is the duty of the dy Collector to come on the ground and see the reality but he is telling the railway authorities to carry out the works even without a plan. Let him come here and show the people the plans and documents so that people are aware and we can take necessary action accordingly. He is putting everyone in a mess and he has not come here when he himself fixed the timing and said that he will come here," said Gouveia.
