NT Reporter
Panaji
Tribal residents of Chimbel continued their protest against the proposed Unity Mall project for the 14th day on Saturday, with the villagers from Bambolim and Nauxi, along with Gakuved council adviser Adv Suresh Palkar, visiting the protest site to express solidarity with the protesters.
The villagers have threatened to take out a ‘maha morcha’ to the Assembly on January 15.
Addressing the media, Palkar said the Chimbel Toyyar Lake was under serious threat due to the Unity Mall project and questioned the silence of local MLA Rudolf Fernandes on the
issue. He said the MLA had not supported the villagers who elected him, and added that the fight against the project would be pursued both
legally and through public agitation. He urged tribal communities across Goa to continue backing the Chimbel villagers.
Reacting to the Chief Minister’s recent statement expressing willingness to hold talks with villagers, Chimbel BMC chairman Govind Shirodkar said the remarks were misleading. He said the villagers’ stand had already been conveyed to the Chief Minister around six months ago when he, the MLA, and members of the Chimbel BMC and VDC met him at his Altinho bungalow after the project was announced.
Shirodkar said there was nothing further to discuss and demanded that the Unity Mall project be scrapped immediately.
Villager Ajay Kholkar said attempts to meet the Chimbel sarpanch over the twin issues had failed for the past three days as the sarpanch was not present at the panchayat office.
He said villagers would attend the panchayat fortnightly meeting scheduled for January 13.
Villager Tukaram Kunkalker said several forest areas surrounding Toyyar lake, collectively measuring about 50 lakh square metres, were traditionally cultivated by tribal communities but had allegedly been purchased by corporate entities, preventing tribals from continuing agricultural activities.
He appealed to the Chief Minister to disclose the outcome of a 2019 SIT and to constitute a fresh SIT to probe the purchase of tribal forest lands.
The villagers also resolved to meet the MLA at his residence on Tuesday regarding the ongoing issues.
