MARGAO: Faced with sleepless nights, residents of villages along the railway track in Velsao and surrounding areas have questioned why the authorities are not addressing the issue of sound pollution they are experiencing.
Highlighting the discomfort caused by trains passing, especially at night when the loud blaring of horns and vibrations in house walls occur, they have expressed concern that their situation remains unaddressed, especially with the double tracking project set to exacerbate their plight.
Pointing to instances where action has been taken in the state and country against violations of sound and air regulations, they added that if one were to measure the decibels when trains pass by their place, blowing horns at night or assess the air pollution filled with coal dust from the wagons transporting coal, there would be enough reason for the authorities to take action.
“Over the last couple of years – and this was not how it was earlier – trains are blowing their horns when they pass the tracks that pass through the village between 2 am to 5.30 am in the morning. This disturbs the sleep of all age groups, and toddlers to senior citizens are the ones most affected,” said Orville Dourado Rodrigues, founder of Goencho Ekvott. He added that the trains pass through Pale, Velsao, and then Cansaulim and Arossim, affecting people living near the tracks.
A visit to the houses located by the tracks tells you how the structures too are bearing the brunt of the vibrations, with cracks on their walls and black coal dust all over. While many of the older houses have their original entrance facing the tracks, concerns have been raised about how many villagers no longer stay in these houses, having moved to other parts of Goa, if not abroad, as they can’t bear the sound and other problems, including health issues, associated with the trains passing by throughout the day.
“The problem is that those trying to downplay the genuine concerns raised by the residents, especially with double tracking works underway, and are trying to normalize what these residents go through every day. In fact, this is not a normal situation at all, and these issues need to be looked into unless residents are expected to suffer in the name of development,” a local resident added.
Senior citizens also recalled that when the track was first laid in the Portuguese era, it was a meter-gauge track, and at that time, the speed at which the trains were moving was 40 km/hr, whereas today they move at 110 km/hr. They further pointed out that their ancestors had kept a patch of land on both sides of the track, around ten meters, which was well thought out and intended for vibration dampers. Trenches were built, and vibrations were absorbed by the trenches.
They lamented that today, the railways are claiming this land as their own and have already allegedly encroached into private properties, despite not having survey numbers, even though the residents have documents to prove ownership of their land. Age-old trees have also been brutally cut by the railways.