Occupants in MLA’s car escape villagers fury

Herald 29th June 2009, Panjim

Herald Correspondent
Canacona, June 28

Fearing that some antics are making an all out effort to revive the three-decade old closed mine, furious villagers from Nuem-Khola stopped a car on Saturday reportedly belonging to an MLA on ‘an inspection mission of an abandoned mine.’

According to villagers, the four occupants of the car made good their escape by planting a cock-n-bull story to the angry villagers. But the residents warned them that they will not accept nothing than what they have demanded so far – no mine operations in their village.

A large number of villagers who had gathered and surrounded the Mitsubishi car in no time took the intruders completely off-guard. They did not allow car occupants to leave, before forcing them to reveal their names and the owner of the car, which was reportedly carrying Goa Assembly stickers on its front windshield.

It all began on Saturday at about 12.30 pm when a villager noticed a black car parked on the other side of the village and some four occupants walking to the closed mines.

It may be recalled that the government had sealed the mines in an order dated May 21, 2008 issued by Director of Mines and Geology, after villagers protest moves to restart the operations.

The villager in turn informed others and soon more villagers gathered in large numbers and virtually confronted the foursome.

The villagers, who were expecting some renewed moves after the recent Dempo’s mining rights sale to Sesa Goa and who had even expressed their fears in press in recent times, were in no mood to hear the lame excuses provided by the foursome.

According to villagers, on persistent enquiry as to their car (GA-03-H-7667) carrying a Goa Assembly sticker, a person in the car reportedly informed them that the car belongs to friend and one politician.

Villagers further said that the foursome took the excuse saying: “We had come to know and learn about various aspects of the closed mine so that an article/book can be written on the matter,” to which they found no sympathisers.

The villagers reportedly asked them rudely to leave and not to come again in the village.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, the angry villagers declared that they are not fools to accept the intruder’s theory that they are writing a book on mining and had come to know of the first hand information of a closed mine. “We know it’s a ploy by a mining lobby to test the waters at the venue,” roared about 50 people gathered at Nuem-Khola.

Khola Bachao Abhiyan President Precopio Fernandes said: “People are fed-up of government testing on our patience, as we are already burdened and fed up with CRZ notices, SEZ, RP-2021 and this fear of destroying our ecology by reviving a mine closed over three decade ago is tormenting us to no end.”

Another villager, Peter Fernandes, said: “Let all who want to play with our sentiments know that we will not allow unknown persons to intrude in our village areas.”