Margao: The gram sabha of Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim village panchayat on Sunday discussed the issue of doubling of railway track passing through their villages. Also present was MLA Alina Saldanha who urged the panchayat to step in and exercise its powers as local authority.
Villagers made their stand on the issue of track doubling clear, saying they did not want their village to turn into a coal hub and called on the panchayat to forward their opposition and demands to the South Western Railway (SWR). They pointed out that in the past too, several resolutions were passed against the project.
Saldanha, speaking at the gram sabha, stressed on the need for the panchayat to take action in the matter. “The panchayat has the right to stop any illegality in the village. The single track existing today was laid on the land donated by the owners. For any work be it state or central, ownership of land has to be certified and the panchayat is the local authority to do it,” she said.
Village sarpanch Ferwin Saldanha however said the panchayat did not have any powers to act accordingly.
“We follow the Panchayati Raj Act, and for more powers to be delegated the Act has to be amended,” Ferwin said.
Meanwhile, issue related to noise pollution by hotels in the village was also raised.
Locals criticised the panchayat for not taking action in such matters, but the sarpanch informed that any action against noise pollution was to be raised with the local police and not the panchayat.
Discussions also ensued about granting of permission to new hotels and mega projects. This was opposed by the villagers saying there was a need for protecting the coastal as well as low-lying areas of the village.
Gram sabha member Jose Fernandes referring to several hotels that have come up in the coastal belt, urged the panchayat not to grant permissions. Villagers also passed resolutions to protect agricultural land as well as low-lying areas and water bodies.
Meanwhile, Saldanha said the government was concerned about the people over the issue of track doubling, adding that, alternatives were being explored. Speaking after attending the gram sabha, Saldanha said the government was not out to destroy the state. “My stand on double tracking is well known but it should not be at the cost of the people. There is something positive to the project but we have to weigh the pros and cons. Let us not think the government is out to destroy, the government is taking measures and maybe still deciding what to do,” she said.
Saldanha also said local bodies should play an active role in the matter. “Local bodies should not allow people to get provoked as it can lead to untoward incidents. Instead they should involve appropriate authorities. For example, on the pollution front, the panchayat can get the pollution board involved. There are different bodies that will come to the rescue,” she said.
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