It all began out of blue at 2.45 pm today November 13 2009 - on the eve of Children's day in India - afternoon with the blowing of loud siren from the Pesticides plant at Dulapi, Corlim in Goa's Tiswadi taluka. Siren blew for 15 minutes. Then at 3.00 pm Goa Police accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrived in four Sumo Jeeps and one CRPF bus and straight away headed into the houses of the villagers. Then began ordering women and children to get into the bus. As the bus was being filled up the spread into the entire village and people gathered and blocked the bus from moving away with women and children on board.
Mamlatdar of Tiswadi got into verbal clash with the adamant villagers. He was questioned as to where women and children are being taken. He disclose that it is mock drill for disaster management. To this villagers got infuriated and asked as to who ordered this action. Mamlatdar said that it is a deputy collector based in Panjim. Then villagers demanded that deputy collector be called to meet the villagers. Then, Deputy collector Shabaji Shetye turned up in Dulapi. He was given hostile response when he ordered the villagers to get out from the road and let bus proceed ahead to an unknown destination with women and children in it. Villagers refused to move away. Women and children got out of the bus. Shabaji Shetye was grilled on the methodology of conducting the mock drill. CRPF jawans was told to shut up and stay away from the dispute. They obliged. Deputy collector then was asked as to why villagers were not informed about the mock drill to which he expressed surprise. Deputy collector was told that villagers are happy to die if the Syngenta leaks and the villagers are opposed to any disaster management mock drills. Villagers told the Deputy collector and high ranking police officials present to supervise the mock drill that the demand of the villagers is that Syngenta be shut down and the people's agricultural land taken to set up this Swiss pesticides plant 40 years ago - then known as Ciba of India limited - be handed over back to Mangado and Dulapi villagers in Corlim Panchayat. Deputy collector understood the situation, apologized to the villagers and only then villagers allowed the CRPF bus to get out the village. Sebastian Rodrigues http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/2009/11/syngentas-disaster-mock-drill-foiled.html _________________________________________________________________ New Windows 7: Find the right PC for you. Learn more. http://windows.microsoft.com/shop
