Voice of Villagers oppose additional land for Verna industrial estate
HERALD REPORTER
Voice of Villagers oppose additional land for Verna industrial estate
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, NOV 7
Villagers of Nagoa, Verna, Loutolim, Cortalim and Quelossim under the
banner
of Voice of Villagers have come out strongly against the government's plan to
acquire huge chunk of additional land for the expansion of the Verna Industrial
Estate in and around Nagoa, Verna and Loutolim.
They threatened to knock the doors of the Judiciary if the government
fails to
address the genuine grievances having long term ramifications for these
villages.
The villagers have also demanded the immediate capping of all the 200
illegal
bore wells operating in the Industrial estate fearing depletion of underground
water
table.
The villagers have asked local MLA and Power Minister Aleixo Sequeira to
take
up the issue and work to preserve the environment and the villages for the
generations to come.
Addressing a press conference, Convenor of Voice of Villagers, Edwin
Pinto
said government should immediately revert back the jurisdiction and control of
the
Industrial estates to the villages and that the villages be given
representation of
the Board of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation.
He said the Voice of Villagers have requested the Power Minister to
demand on
behalf of the people an immediate moratorium on land acquisition in the
villages of
Nagoa, Verna and Loutolim.
Saying that the grievances and complaints of the people against the
government
bodies like the GIDC stands substantiated by the latest CAG report, Pinto
requested
the MLA to pursue the institution of an impartial and transparent inquiry with
respect to non performance of duty and failure to the rules in the allocation
of
land resulting in great loss to the public exchequer.
An activist Judith Rebello said the Verna industrial estate has only led
to
pollution of the water bodies and rampant disposal of waste in the open without
treating it scientifically and lamented that the villagers have not benefited
in any
way from the industrial estate except pollution and garbage.
"They are cutting the hills for garbage dumping. The water bodies have
been
blocked by indiscriminate expansion. What are the villagers getting back from
the
Industrial estate", she asked.
Another activist John Philip said there exist around 200 illegal bore
wells
within the Verna industrial estate, but lamented that the government has not
been
forthcoming to cap these wells. He said the perennial sources of water which
feed
the River Sal have depleted due to bore wells, adding that this is the main
reason
why the River has dried up.
"The effluents are finding its way into the water reservoir. The people
are
sandwitched between industries and no development zones. Even slopes have been
acquired for industrial area", Philip said, adding that the Goan land is being
used
to benefit the migrants under the guise of providing 80 per cent jobs for
locals.
"Today, migrants outnumber locals in Nagoa village. You can see migrants
at
the Pirnim junction, outnumbering locals", he said, adding that the villages
are
facing problems relating to sanitation, power, etc.
While underlining the urgent need to restore the River Sal to its past
glory,
Philip lamented that the water table in the river has gone down drastically and
attributed the phenomenon to indiscriminate bore wells on the Verna plateau.
The Voice of Villagers said it is now abundantly clear that the GIDC bent
over
backwards to undertake what the CAG report has been described as "undue
concessions"
to SEZ allottees. "The report indicts the GIDC for surrendering land acquired
for
industrial purposes for housing schemes, forgoing revenue of Rs 8.62 crore,
clearly
stated that "diverting land acquired for industrial purposes to housing
projects was
irregular and against the mandate of the Corporation", Pinto added.
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VIVA GOA
