WEEK LONG ROAD BLOCK OF MINING TRUCKS IN COLAMBA

This Picture shaows Socurine Dias in yellow circle and the Contrator wearing white t-shirt and pink circle around his face, who forced himself into her house and forcefully tried to offer cash to withraw police cases against truck owner who kicked her on her stomach on May 02 2008. Read further for weekly report:

The road block against the mining trucks started in Colamba on the 2nd of May and still continued till 7th of May 2008. None of the mining trucks - overloaded or otherwise was to cross the village due to this blockade. While the agitation continues on one hand there are a number of incidents that unfolded in the village of Colamba since then.

After Sucorina Dias was kicked by Shekhar Naik on the first day of the blockade, a police complaint was filed on the 2nd May, against him on two accounts, firstly for kicking her and secondly for slapping Motesh Antao.

Following this incident the contractors called for a meeting on the 4th of May with the people of Colamba to negotiate and stop the blockade. There were four contractors and fifty three villagers present for the meeting. The people put forward their demands very clearly which were: to reduce the overloading of the trucks, to stop the rash driving, to stop the transport between 12:30 to 2:00pm everyday and to widen and repair the roads from Zambalim to Netravalim.

The bargaining continued with the contractors for a long time but no concrete decisions were taken. After the contractors left, at 10:30am the people of Colamba took a resolution stating that “until the road is repaired from Zambalium to Netravalim the villagers will not allow the transporter to carry the iron ore from the mines to Sanvordem”.

The final nail in the week long full of activities was when Sucorina was offered money by one of the contractors present in the meeting. This incident took place on the 5th of May in the morning. Bribe was given in order to force her to take back the complaint she had filed on the 2nd of May against Shekhar Naik, the bus driver. There was a long argument between them in which she refused to accept the money and forced him out of her house.

As the people of Colamba continue their struggle, the question that arises is: till how long will this continue? How many such weeks of struggle will be needed before the sleeping government rises and takes any action against this terrorism of mining?



Vinaya D’Souza,

Constancio Rodrigues,

Mercilina Sen,

Smitha Olivera,

Sebastian Rodrigues