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Save Goa movement gathers momentum GBA holds meeting in Bambolim

BY HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 26 — Further intensifying their agitation the Goa Bachao Andolan (GBA) — Save Goa campaign — today had another meeting in Bambolim demonstrating opposition to ‘selling’ Goa to real estate developers.

“It is our religion to stop Regional Plan 2011,” said Dr Oscar Rebello, GBA convenor addressing a gathering of nearly three hundred activists and villagers of Bambolim and Navsi, near one of the bulldozed hills for real estate development.

He said, “Poor should have first claim on resources of Goa,” and appealed to people, “to teach them (politician) a lesson.”

Local MLA Francis Silveira, who attended the meeting, looked somber. When asked for his stand on the issue, he said, “government should do what people want”, stopping short of calling for scrapping of Regional Plan 2011.

It was not just a meeting of GBA activists but also villagers who some days ago remained silent due to the threats held out by the real estate developers who have taken up projects in Bambolim.

But today no threat could stop them from speaking out their mind. “They are not allowing us to go to the beach, and even want us to move our houses elsewhere,” Bambolim villager Mangala Haldankar said, adding “We are not going to give up our place.”

In the beginning, though the villagers were apparently swayed by the interest shown by the developers in their (villagers’) welfare, but now they are slowly realizing the trick being played on them and are gearing up to fight their own battle with the support of GBA.

The fact that they were ready to fight their own battle was evident when they spontaneously said,  “it is our duty to save our village”, to an appeal by Dr Rebello “not to allow the developers to re-start work.”

Dr Rebello also urged villagers to call an extraordinary gram sabha to discuss present problem.

The work on the survey numbers 95/1, 96/1, 12/1 and 99/2 (in Bambolim) was ordered to be stopped by the government on December 22, as it was carried out in blatant violation of CRZ regulations and also in violation of section 17 of the Town and Country Planning Act.
The orders were issued only after social activist Patricia Pinto along with other activists of GBA pursued the matter with the government.
On the occasion the activists blasted the police too for allegedly harassing the villagers.

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