Kejriwal meets Karapur protesters, warns of eco-disaster in village

PANAJI

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday joined villagers in Karapur, who have been staging a sit‑in for 57 days against the 'Abhinandan Lodha Mega Project'.

Kejriwal, accompanied by AAP leader Atishi, the party's State president Valmiki Naik and Velim MLA Cruz Silva, accused the BJP government in Goa of siding with builder lobbies. 

He said the project, spread over 5.5 lakh square metres, with more than 1,700 villas and plots, would bring in 8,000 to 10,000 residents, more than the village’s current population of 6,500. 

“Such projects let builders make millions but leave villagers struggling for water, land and clean environment,” Kejriwal said.

Villagers protesting against the development have said it threatens farming, cashew cultivation and forest produce, while large‑scale hill cutting could also destabilize the ecology.

The Karapur agitation was launched within a week of a similar one by Siridao villagers and led by their MLA Viresh Borkar, ended after the State government agreed to freeze all the land conversion processes under the controversial section 39A of the TCP Act, in St Andre constituency.

The Borkar-led stir had galvanised the Opposition parties and also drew large crowds on a daily basis at the Azad Maidan, where Borkar was on an indefinite hunger strike. 

It was withdrawn only after the government assured to freeze the conversion of lands under section 39A in his constituency.

The 'Save Karapur' protest, meanwhile, has become one of Goa’s longest such agitations, with locals warning of water scarcity, ecological damage and loss of livelihoods.

Police had recently booked 11 villagers, mostly women, after a confrontation with the local sarpanch, raising tensions in the area. The village's deputy sarpanch had also resigned citing pressure from locals over the project.

Kejriwal meanwhile assured that AAP will pledge to revoke land conversions under Section 39A and scrap the controversial section in its manifesto at the upcoming assembly elections. 

Atishi, who is the party in-charge in Goa, praised Karapur’s women for leading the resistance. 

Silva warned of severe water shortages and cultural erosion of the village if this project continues to finish.