GOENCHO EKVOTT Members have pledged to canvass across all 40 constituencies of Goa to make sure all Bharatiya Janata Party candidates are defeated. This pledge comes after they were shocked to learn that the Goa Cabinet has recently granted approval for the acquisition of additional land at Guirdolim & Sanguem for double tracking despite stiff opposition from locals.
Goencho Ekvott is protesting against this undemocratic decision of the Government, and hence its members retaliated by burning the effigy of the Chief Minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Sawant. This CM has overlooked the Goan sentiments and Goan demography of the place by merely working as an agent for the crony capitalist of Gujarat rather than as the Chief Minister of Goa who is duty bound to protect the interests of the local people. Despite the gram Sabha resolutions by more that 70% of the panchayats, and opposition its own BJP MLA who vociferously opposed the project, it clearly indicates that this current Government is ruining our lives, livelihood & environment to promote the BJP agenda of development which is solely to help the Coal mafia.
The Joint Secretary of Goencho Ekvott, Olencio Simoes stated that the CM is gradually approving the land Acquisition. In May 2020 land admeasuring 60,117 sq m which was fraudulently ‘acquired’ in Majorda, then again on 15th July 2021 to acquire more land of 8,104 sq.mt for Special Project i.e. Hospet/Hubli/Tinaighat/Vasco da Gama and now this additional land for doubling from Kulem to Margao section of South Western railways in Guirdolim and Sanguem.
He further stated that the Goa State government is all out to destroy our heritage houses and UNESCO recognised world heritage site at Mollem which is one of the eight hot-spots of bio-diversity in the world despite Gram Panchayats that have passed resolution wherein 90% of land owners have objected to their ancestral land being acquired for double tracking and the NH4A expansion. The state government has made it crystal clear to make Goa as a coal corridor to transport 136 MMTPA of Coal to industrial steel plants in South Maharashtra and Northern Karnataka through road, rail, inland and coastal waterways.
Goencho Ekvott founder member, Orville Dourado Rodrigues questioned how can our CM can be so anti-Goan specially when the Supreme Court directed the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to conduct on-site inspection, which has thereafter evaluated and submitted to the Supreme Court its recommendation that it ‘does not find any justification for undertaking a project of this nature’ and recommended that the Hon. Court ‘revoke the permissions granted for Special Project of doubling i.e.Hospet/Hubli/Tinaighat/Vasco da Gama’, and ‘to scrap the project in totality’.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues further stated that Goencho Ekvott will conduct a body meeting to plan the future course of action and if required will canvass in all 40 constituencies to ensure that the BJP candidates are defeated since the party is working against the interests of Goa and its people.
