Farmers protest fast in Quepem on February 21

The Goenchea Xetkarancho Ekvott (GXE) strongly condemns the refusal of the State Government to correct the present disastrous policies, and in particular, its failure to stop the acquisition of agricultural lands. We reiterate our demands that acquisitions of agricultural lands be stopped immediately; agricultural lands be reverted to agriculture use, and to stop indiscriminate conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural use.

The Government has failed to respond to numerous representations and public demonstrations, including the unanimous demand made by thousands of farmers at Lohia Maidan on 2nd August 2009 that acquisitions of agricultural lands be stopped immediately. Instead, the Government has blindly continued with the anti-Indian policy of the British Raj, sixty two years after Independence, which is especially devastating in the instance of our tiny and highly sensitive motherland, Goa.

The ongoing destruction of Goa is caused due to the flawed policies of the Government. For example, the sports policy of the State is being grossly misused to construct sports grounds by filling up fertile paddy fields, often using fraud, undue influence and coercion, without any application of mind, and by trampling on the helpless farmers' fundamental rights. GXE demands that the Government immediately stop all the ongoing acquisitions and restore agricultural to its rightful place, as the greatest of all public purposes in times of peace. It must also revert all acquired lands which are not yet destroyed back to the farmers and to the generations yet to come, who form the silent and invisible majority of our nation.

Since the Government is deliberately ignoring our just and essential demands stated above, we continue our State-wide peaceful struggle at the Quepem Municipal Square (garden ), Quepem on 21st February 2010 from 0900 hrs to 1600 hrs, where we shall continue to spread awareness and build solidarity in order to achieve our goals.

GXE calls upon all farmers, individuals, organizations and bodies from Quepem and other talukas to attend this day long peaceful protest on 21st February 2010, and to express solidarity with any form of expression or participation in our struggle.