VASCO
Angry villagers on Monday stopped the survey work carried out by a private railway contractor in a private property at Velsao.
Villagers later called the mamlatdar to the site to question the contractor as to how he had trespassed into private land while warning authorities that such surveys could lead to a law and order situation.
Congress worker Olencio Simoes said that for the last few months railway authorities were illegally trespassing into private properties to conduct surveys.
"These are private contractors but acting like big government officials and doing anything they want. The villagers upset with such practices called the mamlatdar who arrived at Velsao and he questioned the contractor on whose authority he had trespassed in private land that was not acquired as yet”, he said.
“Villagers and panchayats besides land owners have opposed the double tracking and I want to tell the government, mamlatdar and Dy Collector not to encourage such contractors or their survey in private lands as it could lead to law and order situation", Simoes said.
Founder of Goencho Ekvott, Orville Dourado said the mamlatdar questioned the contractor if the land owners were intimated about the survey.
"The Dy Collector has decided to keep in abeyance such survey works until a meeting is conducted tomorrow with railway contractor", said Dourado.
Meanwhile, local Velsao panch Ashok Souza said that the railway contractors had criminally trespassed in his property.
"This is illegal and this is being happening all along the railway line between Margao and Vasco", he said.
