Dear Mauricio, Your understanding of Curchorem agitation in itself is completely flawed and when the base is wrong what to say of the inferance? 1) You said: Ganv Rakhan Manch is demanding the scrapping of the proposal to expand the highway that connects the mining belt to Mormugao port to four-lane for transportation of iron ore. Ans: This is incorrect. There is no proposal at all to 4-lane highway that connects the mining belt to Mormugao port. GRJM is objecting 4-laning of road from Tilamol to Curchorem (connecting mines to Zuari)because it passes through thickly populated area where 30000 people reside and 10000 students commute twice a day. 2) 4-laning opposed by Curcorem municipality, Xeldem gramsabha during last two years. 540 people filed objections with Collector, CM six months back. Entire village committee opposed in Regional Plan meeting three years ago. Government/House committee opposed 12 years ago. High court passes strictures 10 years ago. Even then Government going ahead. WHAT DEMOCRACY? 3) If you see the road on Sundays, rainy season (no minig traffic) the road looks deserted. If mining traffic diverts, existing width sufficient for next 20 years. PWD says that widening is not their priority. They took up widening only because local MLA (a mining transport contractor) is forcing. An MLA has only legislative power. PWD is awarding him executive power. When asked, CM says he is in power do what you want. WHAT DEMOCRACY? 3) Curchorem connects Margao by two roads: State highway (SH-6) via Chandor and district road (MDR-40) via Tilamol. Giving priority to district road over State highway: is it not retograde policy? SH-6 is 7 km shorter than MDR-40. By widening MDR-40 and making people travel extra 7 km wastes fuel worth Rs 6 crore every year (and equivalent foreign exchange) and wear and tear of Rs 4 cr a year. VIVA DEMOCRACY? 4) CM yielded only to buy time. Agitators also made it clear that they will target his profits and his votes. He is foxy and knows if he doesn't bow now his transport may stop right now. See in June, when his mining traffic stops. He will dump assurances at Sonsodo. TRUE DEMON-CRACY: Of Digu, By Digu, For Digu + 40 chors + miners + builders. Rajendra PS; I am sending you separately complete dossier of the GRJM agitation. It pains that nij-Goekars can be so ignorant and mis-informed. I can take up visits for interested people a tour of mining belt on Satudays. Please contact by e-mail. On Mon, 14 Feb 2011 Mauricio Pereira wrote:
People's power is true democracy. And the voter is king. For the couple of months that I have seen in Goa, and from interactions with activists and urban villagers, Goans stand apart. Their sentiments are very strong. They have a say in the way they are governed. And their political leaders bow to them. There have been many instances to support this argument. The latest is the protests of the Curchorem residents led by Ghanv Rakhon Jagrut Manch marching to chief minister Digambar Kamat's residence in Margao demanding the scrapping of the proposal to expand the highway that connects the mining belt to Mormugao port to four-lane for transportation of iron ore, mainly being exported to Japan and China. The state highway connects Sanvordem and Curchorem in the Quepem-Sanguem talukas in Goa. The locals instead want the government to expedite land acquisition proceedings for the proposed 19 km Uguem-Capxem mining bypass, which can connect to the Zuari river from where the iron ore could be transported by barges to Mormugao port.
