Team Herald
CANSAULIM: A group of Arossim Villagers on Sunday threatened to start “fast unto death” if state government fails to address their grievances against proposed third hotel project in the jurisdiction of Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim (CAC) Village Panchayat. As announced earlier, on Goa Liberation Day about 70 villagers including senior citizens and children observed one-day protest fast.
“Since last many years we have been fighting this battle against the third hotel project in our village as project proponent in connivance with State administration has been ignoring all our pleas and is attempting to destroy/fill up the natural environmental entities such as ponds, water bodies, nullahs, handis and low-lying paddy fields (water catchment area) existing within the property currently owned by the project proponent. This, if allowed would lead to flooding of the village, thereby disrupting normal life and denying the rights of villagers to live in dignity,” environmental activist and CAC Civic and Consumer Forum member Anthony D’Silva alleged.
“Today’s protest fast along with our family members was peaceful, however if our demands are not met and if the authorities concerned fail to address our grievances then we will be left with no option but to go for protest “fast unto death” and we are firm with our decision,” D’Silva said.
Meanwhile former Cortalim MLA and AAP leader Alina Saldanha as well as Congress Leader Olencio Simoes also met the protesting Arossim villagers and extended their support to them.
Saldanha said “I am not against the hotel. They are the owners of the land and they can build the hotel but while constructing the hotel they should ensure that they protect environment and natural water bodies in the village. Since there are several age-old water bodies in the property, the same needs to be protected or else there will be repercussions which these villagers will be forced to face and hence these villagers are protesting and I am supporting them,” she said.
Olencio Simoes said, “It’s sad to see villagers protesting on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day. The existing hotels are already polluting the village environment and third hotel would be more worse and hence I request State government to revoke all permissions issued to the hotel project as earlier the concerned authorities abused their powers and issued permission for hotel project ignoring the ground reality in the village”.