Team Herald
BICHOLIM: The face-off between the Pilgao and Sarmanas villagers and Vedanta continued for the second day straight, with the villagers blocking the road through their fields to stop the company’s trucks carrying iron ore.
The talks that the Bicholim Deputy Collector and the Mamlatdar tried to initiate between the two parties failed as the farmers stuck to their demand of compensation and the restoration of fields that they said had been polluted by the company.
The villagers started the blockade on Wednesday by erecting a wooden fence and a hut on the road.
Vedanta Limited has been granted environmental clearance without the consent of the farmers. The company was transporting iron ore through their fields without acquiring them or providing them jobs.
Adv Ajay Prabhugaonkar -Representing the farmers
When Bicholim Deputy Collector told company representatives to pay compensation, they said it would be paid over the next 50 years. The farmers objected to this, and company representatives then assured them of compensation within five years. The farmers have sought time to decide on this, said Prabhugaonkar.
Every farmer should have the right to cultivate their fields. The company is saying it will give compensation only for the road used and not for the entire land. This is unacceptable and we will not allow the trucks through our fields.
Mohini Jalmi - Sarpanch Pilgao
The farmers claimed the erstwhile Sesa Goa Company provided them jobs taking note of the damage caused to the fields due to mining. But after the company was acquired by Vedanta, they were not given jobs, the farmers alleged.
In a statement, the company Vedanta Sesa Goa said,"Vedanta Sesa Goa is also in discussions with civil authorities and community members to resolve all outstanding issues.”