Staff Reporter
Sankhali
The villagers of Mayem, under the banner of Mayem Bhoo Vimochan Nagrik Kruti Samiti (MBVNKS),
on Thursday, strongly refuted the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s remarks that the people of Mayem are opposed to any beneficial project.
In a press conference held in Bicholim, the president of the committee, Sakharam Pednekar, along with members Rajesh Kalangutkar, Harichandra Chari, Yeshwant Karbhatkar, and Narayan Malvankar, said that the CM’s remarks have hurt the sentiments of the villagers. During the press conference, they announced their opposition to the proposal to allocate approximately two lakh sqm of land for an international law college project.
The villagers said they will not support the project unless the issue of ownership titles for homes and agricultural lands, which they holding for generations, is not resolved.
“We are not opposed to the law college proposal, but the government must first address the issue of land ownership. We also understand the BJP government’s support for pollution-free projects on government land in Goa, but the proposed location for the law college is inappropriate due to its religious and cultural significance,” said Pednekar, requesting that areas with sacred sites and those currently being cultivated be excluded from the project.
He also said that sanads issued to some of the villagers by the government are provisional and not permanent.
“The issue of allocating ownership titles to the locals of Mayem needs to be resolved urgently,” said Pednekar, with the committee members stating that while the land title allocation process is proceeding at a slow pace, the government’s action on the law college project has been swift.
“Once these titles are granted, the remaining land will come under government control, allowing the government to decide if the land is suitable for projects like the law college,” said Kalangutkar, adding that Mayem’s struggle has been going on for 60 years.
Though the BJP government has been supportive, issues have remain unresolved, he said.
The MBVNKS members called on the local MLA to ensure that the government receives accurate information regarding the locals’ concerns.
They said that some political leaders are misleading the villagers for their own benefit, and urged them to stop playing politics.
Speaking further, Karbhatkar hit out against the government for not involving the locals in the decision-making process on the project’s location.
He said the government must take the locals into confidence, and added that there will be no opposition if the matter is handled appropriately.
It may be recalled that the chief minister had criticised the villagers’ stand on the law college project during a function held in Mayem two days ago.
The CM had opined that if the project took shape, it would bring name and fame to the Mayem village.
Questioning the villagers’ opposition, he had said, “Why are they opposing for the sake of opposing? Even non-polluting projects are being rejected by the locals, and how can the government develop the village in such circumstances?”
The opposition to beneficial projects would no longer be tolerated, he had added.
