SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Farmers remain steadfast in their refusal to allow demarcation of khazan fields for the proposed Borim bridge project.
During a meeting on Wednesday with local Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira, who is also the Environment Minister, farmers were urged to permit the demarcation process and offered compensation for any resulting damage to their khazans. However, the farmers, visibly distressed, maintained they cannot accept such potential harm to their lands.
It may be recalled that earlier, on Tuesday, the farmers had prevented PWD and land survey officials from carrying out the demarcation exercise for the new High-Level Borim Bridge project and its approach roads. They argued that any act of stepping into the fields would cause total damage due to the soft clay nature of these fields, and moreover, that the PWD lacked the requisite permissions or legal orders to conduct the survey.
In response to the impasse, a follow-up meeting has been scheduled for next Monday with the PWD Chief Engineer. This meeting aims to explore the possibility of an alternative alignment for the bridge project. The farmers plan to use this opportunity to reiterate their concerns and present their grievances directly to the PWD official.
The farmers, who were anxious about the presence of a large police force on Tuesday, met with the MLA on Wednesday with the hope that directions would be issued to the PWD by the Minister to call off the demarcation exercise indefinitely and to address their other demands first, including finding a new alignment for the bridge.
It is to be noted that farmers from Loutolim and Borim have already approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), arguing that the PWD lacks environmental and other departmental clearances to carry out the project in CRZ areas where land is proposed to be acquired, including the farmers' fields.
While the PWD have so far insisted that the objections filed by the farmers were dismissed, thereby allowing them to carry out the demarcation exercise, the farmers countered, stating they have filed appeals and their rejoinder is pending adjudication and that PWD cannot enter private properties either.
Albert Pinheiro, Chairman of the Loutolim Tenants Association, shared what happened, "We visited our MLA today. He said to allow them to demarcate and offered compensation if the fields get damaged, but we said that we don't want compensation - we want to save our khazan. We feel lost. I did what I could,"
He added, "I deliberated that if the bridge crosses through the centre (of their vast fields), our khazan will be finished forever, and we do not want any compensation."
Pinheiro elaborated further on the upcoming meeting, "However, now a new development has arisen. Our Minister has fixed a meeting on Monday at 3 pm at Altinho in the conference hall of the Chief Engineer. We requested them to come up with a fresh alignment that would save our khazan.
He also mentioned that the farmers will hold meetings among themselves on Tuesday to arrive at a consensus opinion and discuss their next strategy
Regarding the Monday meeting, Pinheiro said, "We have not been given any assurance (about our demands), but in the earlier meeting with the authorities (including the PWD Chief Engineer in Panjim), they had said that they would come out with another alternative, so we will have to see what alignment is being prepared."
