Olencio Simoes-Member of Goa Against Coal Slams Day Collector & Railway Official
Margao-Goa: Olencio Simoes member of Goa Against Coal along with other affected villagers today at personal hearing grilled the day collector and railway official for failing to answer the reason for second railway line and form Majorda to Vasco,they strongly oppose the on land procurement of land at Cansaulim, pale and issorsim for Madgoan-Vasco-Doubling project, South Western Railway in Majorda-Cansaulim-Pale-Issorcim-Dabolim-Chicalim,Vasco.
Olencio stated that last year October people of Velsao,Pale and Issorcim had opposed procurement of land but still the Dy.Collector of Vasco is issuing notices for request for settlement for double railway line in our villages which has created panic and mental harassment to the people of our villages When questioned the official that how many of the local from this villages travels from the local train they didn’t have answers, Olencio stated that when hardly 10 villagers uses the train then why do we need second railway line questioned Olencio.
Olencio further stated that their are houses of 450 years old and due to constant and high frequency of train our house has already developed cracks due to vibrations caused by heavy coal wagon. The coal train transports per minute 23 tonne which is 3800 tonne coal per train and 9 such coal train of coal through our village and has created devastation to the people my village and destruction of our ancestral houses,properties, traditional fisherman livelihood, farmers anxious for their fields and impact on the land etc which has already affected our culture, our surrounding, our heritage structures, our youth, our greenery, our animals, our habitation etc.
and all this is documented by “Indian Express Written by Smita Nair dated June 26 , 2018”where people has given testimony who living along their track From Vasco in the far west to Anmod on the Karnataka border.
He stated that he along the villagers attended the public hearing at tilak maidan held on 20th, 24th and 27th of March 2017 for the enhancement of berths 5A and 6A, dredging of approach channel and inner basin and re-development of berths 8, 9 and barge berth at MPT respectively ,the draft Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) of Mormugao Port Trust(MPT) prepared by WAPCOS limited of all 3(three) project clearly mentioned the second railway line is required for transportation of coal ,the MPT plans to increase the berths to 5nos , so that it can enhance the coal handling from 12 to 50 million tonnes per annum.
Therefore the doubling of Rail Line through my village of Cansaulim is only to facilitate the coal transportation from MPT,Vasco to Hospet which will be only to transport coal and other hazardous cargo from Adani and Jindal berths through our village thereby destroying heritage houses,churches,several water bodies,place of Common, livelihood of fisher folks and natural vegetation of our village nor the doubling of railway line has consulted our Panchayat nor any Social Impact Assessment study is carried on in consultation with me and others who are affected.
Olencio said that If the double railway line is constructed then Coal pollution will spread all over our village and this will cause serious health hazard like cancer ,which is already tabled in last monsoon session and publish in The Goan paper date 29th July 2019 stating that 4500 cases of respiratory disorders including Asthma ,Tuberculosis has been treated in GMC alone from Mormugao taluka and there are more then 20 private clinics in Mormugao itself and if we add their total then it will go up to 25,000 cases,therefore at this hour of time increasing the frequency of coal trains will accelerate the respiratory problems,besides that we do not have rail over bridges at our village and therefore we will have to wait for longer periods at railway crossing gate at Velsao, Cansaulim and other crossing along the proposed line. Olencio has warned of massive agitation if the plans are not dropped by the railway authority.