Team Herald
MARGAO: The villagers of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim village on Friday were furious with the Mormugao Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ravishekhar G Nipanikar.
They alleged that the Deputy Collector had insulting them during their recent meeting with him and they termed it as an insult to their entire village.
When the villagers had gathered in large numbers awaiting the Deputy Collector to come for scheduled site inspection, which he did not turn up for, they recounted how the Deputy Collector had behaved with them.
They pointed out that when the Deputy Collector was claiming that the locals did not have any ownership over the private property where Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) were carrying out double-tracking related work, they got in touch with him and sought a meeting where they wanted to show their documents proving that they do own the said properties.
It may be recalled that the Deputy Collector himself had earlier stated that those landowners who have claims over the affected private properties, should visit his office and show it to him.
It is to be noted that the Deputy Collector is also the land acquisition officer although the area where the work is presently being carried out is not under the land acquisition proceedings.
“The Deputy Collector flung the documents in the face of the Sarpanch. He accused them of creating drama. These documents are official property records and are recognised by the Revenue Department. His behaviour is unacceptable and some of the people who had attended this meeting are senior citizens, who have been fighting for the last two years.” said one of the locals.
Others who attended the meeting also reiterated that this had happened and said this is not the first time the Deputy Collector had insulted or threatened them with dire consequences.
The locals also questioned why the Deputy Collector had not visited the site even though the Water Resources Department (WRD) and Forest Department had visited the site and criticised the Deputy Collector for allowing RVNL carry out work in their properties, public pathways or storm water drains without having any ownership documents.
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Goa Foundation protests against police interference
MARGAO: The Goa Foundation (GF) has protested against the police interference in the railway double tracking dispute in Velsao.
GF issued a statement late Friday evening ‘with reference to the continuing mass agitation against the double tracking project at Velsao’.
“There is a mistaken impression that because the High Court has disallowed a petition filed by the Velsao Panchayat and another petition by Chandor villagers (Ganv Bhavancho Ekvott), the railway authorities are empowered to carry out development works connected with the doubling of the rail tracks between Margao and Vasco without any obstructions from any source,” said GF Director Claude Alvares.
“It needs to be clarified that the High Court has dismissed the petitions in respect of lands which are either owned by the railways or which have since been acquired by the railways,” he added.
“The protests of Velsao villagers relate to the lands owned by them, on which the railways can have neither rights nor may use the powers granted to them under Section 11 of the Railways Act,” he added.
“The railway authorities are themselves very clear about this, since they are not using the railway police to get their way on the private lands in Velsao and adjacent villages, because railway police only have authority to act in respect of railway lands. The use of the Goa police to support illegal trespass of private lands in Velsao and adjacent villages is therefore unacceptable,” said Alvares.
“The Goa police have no right to interfere in matters involving conflict of land rights, or conflicts between private landowners and the railways. If the railways are using force to bulldoze their way, they are responsible for creating law and order problems and the Goa police are required to act against them, and not against those defending their rights to lands owned by them since times immemorial,” the GF Director added.