MARGAO: In a day of high drama and resolute determination on the part of Loutolim farmers, the PWD had to defer their plans to carry out a demarcation exercise in the village, in connection with the much-opposed land acquisition process of the new High-level Borim bridge and approach roads.
After trying to conduct the exercise from morning till late afternoon on Tuesday, the PWD, who were accompanied by a large police force and the Salcete Mamlatdar, had to postpone the survey.
It may be recalled that there have been few instances where the PWD was supposed to turn up for this survey exercise but had failed to do so but each time, the farmers would show up at the site.
On Tuesday at 10 am, the PWD officials along with the land survey department arrived at the site but without having issued any notice to either the Loutolim panchayat or the farmers.
However, the news spread immediately in the village and within a couple of minutes, all the locals, especially the farmer groups rushed to the site. This included senior citizens.
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai and Diana Tavares of NGO Federation of Rainbow Warriors also accompanied the farmers and began questioning the PWD as to how they are going ahead with the demarcation without having the right orders to do so.
Former Loutolim Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes added that the survey exercise was illegal and more so that the PWD does not have permission to enter private properties.
Present Loutolim Sarpanch, SanFrancisco Fernandes also pointed out that the panchayat had written to the PWD but that the PWD had not bothered replying to the panchayat or informing them or the farmers about the survey exercise.
During the interaction with the PWD in the presence of Maina Curtorim Police Inspector (PI) Arun Dessai, Tavares first demanded that the PWD show what permission they have to carry out the survey. Tavares then pointed out that as per the National Highway Act, the PWD had not complied with the requisite conditions and thus were not allowed to carry out the inspection.
Prabhudesai explained that land acquisition hearings were held under Section C of the Act and that the PWD has to first get permissions from the Environment Department, Forest Department and the CRZ Clearance. He also added that Section B of the Act deals with inspections but the time given under Section B had lapsed, which meant that technically PWD are not in any position to carry out the survey.
Former Sarpanch Xavier added that PWD has not even done an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and the PWD officials were only talking about the land acquisition proceedings, which did not deal with the survey. Xavier thanked the PI for facilitating the discussions with the PWD officials.
While PWD officials tried to state that the objections filed by the farmers against the land acquisition process were dismissed, the farmers pointed out that the appeal process is still ongoing. Prabhudesai also added that the petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that has been filed by the Loutolim farmers along with the farmers of Borim, who are also protesting against the project in their village, will be heard in the first week of July.
Albert Pinheiro, the Chairman of the Loutolim Tenant Association also stressed to the PWD officials that the khazan fields are being cultivated at present and that if the land survey officials step into the fields, their crops, which are being grown at present, will get damaged.
While the PWD officials tried to assert that the crops won’t get damaged and tried to proceed with the survey, the farmers stood their ground and demanded that the PWD first show the legal permissions that allow them to carry out the survey.
Salcete Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Santosh Dessai, who was supervising all of this, acknowledged that the farmers’ protests were peaceful, but added that the police were there in case any law-and-order situation broke out.
Finally, the farmers called on Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, who is also the local MLA, and reiterated their major concerns about the damage to the fields, which are crucial for the farmer’s livelihoods.
Thereafter, after the Minister intervened, the demarcation exercise was called off for Tuesday. It was not made clear when it would resume. The farmers plan on meeting the Minister on Wednesday.
There were some locals however, who pointed out that the oft-repeated assurance given by the MLA that ‘no houses will be lost’ did not satisfy their demands as for them, the future of their families is at stake here if the khazan fields are destroyed.
Questions were also raised about what happened to the PWD’s earlier assurance of trying to find an alternative alignment for the Bridge and its approach roads.
Later in the evening, Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai, while speaking to media persons, expressed his solidarity with the protesting farmers and local residents. He further criticised the action of the PWD and the government in pushing ahead with the bridge project, despite the wide-spread destruction it will cause to the unique khazan fields of Loutolim.