Bravo to the villagers of Shel-Melauli for their courageous opposition to the IIT project in Shel-Melauli, against great odds, which clearly demonstrated the power of the people to be able to carve out their own destiny. To protect their land and occupation, the valiant villagers of Melauli made the local MLA of Valpoi capitulate by threatening to divest him of political power over their domain. They made the MLA to openly oppose the IIT project in Melauli by exerting pressure on him to abandon the project there.
In like manner, the people of Goa have to now join forces by forming a united opposition to foil the designs of the present dispensation from carrying out the sinister destruction of green cover in Goa by imposing the three projects in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and the National Park at Mollem. The overwhelming majority of the people of Goa are against the railway double tracking, the 400KV transmission lines and the national highway expansion, which will destroy the western ghats, United Nations protected zone, home to exotic trees, wildlife, birds and butterflies, the core of natural beauty which should be protected at all costs. It should be like a second opinion poll, wherein the incumbent political dispensation if defeated for not complying to the wishes of the majority people of Goa, will demonstrate people power.
Also, the coal handling by MPT and transportation of coal across Goa should be nipped in the bud of the Lotus, which is resorting to anti-people development that will destroy the natural beauty of green Goa. Even it it means, rotating the chief minister's tenure amongst the opposition political party unitedly, it would be worth to oppose consistently and doggedly until the next elections which is just about a year and four months away at the most. Hail to the power of the people of Goa.
ELVIDIO MIRANDA, via email
