Curchorem: In a significant development in the ongoing agitation by Mirabag and surrounding villagers opposing the bandhara project, BJP state president Damodar Naik on Friday assured that the issue would be resolved within the next two days. As per an invitation extended by Naik, a delegation of villagers met him at his office in Fatorda, where detailed discussions were held on the issue.
“I discussed the matter in depth with the villagers and heard them patiently. They briefed me on all developments from the beginning of the agitation, which has now entered its 39th day,” Naik told reporters.
He said he would speak with the Chief Minister, the Minister concerned and other officials connected to the bandhara project to ensure that a solution is found within two days.
When asked about concerns that officials had failed to provide satisfactory replies during a recent presentation, Naik said, “If that is the fact, then it is a failure on our part.” Responding to a query that WRD officials have stated that Rs 60 crore has already been spent on the project, he said, “I am unaware about this fact. I do not have any documents to justify the said expenditure and I am not the person to speak on the said subject.”
‘Protest withdrawal only after written assurance’
Margao: Villagers from Mirabag have said they will not withdraw their ongoing protest against the proposed bandhara project until they receive a written assurance that the project has been scrapped, even as verbal assurances have been given by state leaders.
Protesters, who met BJP president Damodar Naik on Friday, said they had recently met the Chief Minister, too.
“Our delegation visited BJP president Damodar Naik and raised our issues related to the bandhara. He has given us a word that the issue will be resolved in the next two days. We are, however, demanding that we be given a formal written confirmation that it has been scrapped. Only then will we call off our protest,” agitation leader Sanket Bhandari said.
Bhandari said the protest has entered its 39th day and is expected to continue. “Recently, we had a meeting with the Chief Minister. We are waiting for the assurances they have given us to translate on the ground. It is almost 40 days that we have have been protesting. Soon we will cross the number of protest days of the Chimbel project,” he said.
Meanwhile, a delegation of villagers met a PWD engineer and raised concerns over a road in Mirabag that was dug up for pipeline work related to the bandhara project and left in a damaged condition. Bhandari said the road, for which permission had been granted last year, remained incomplete due to the work carried out by the Water Resources Department.
“The WRD had dug it up to lay pipelines and left it in a dangerous condition. There have been many accidents there and it has created a lot of dust pollution. So, we met the engineer and requested the PWD to repair the road as soon as possible,” he said.
He said the PWD informed them that it had written to the WRD seeking details on the status of the work so that repairs could be taken up, and said the road would be repaired before April 15.
