Villagers of Tilamol Curchorem submitted memo to the Dy-Collector

The people likely to be affected by land Acquisition for Tilamol Cortali Road widening on Friday 30th July 2010 submitted a memorandum to the Dy-Collector Quepem opposing the acquisition of land to make the road 4 lane from Tilamol to Curchorem and from Curchorem to Sanguem Court.

It may be recalled that on 22/6/2010 government issued a notification for widening of Tilamol Sanguem road , that since then people are opposing the road widening of the road by conducting corner meetings abd by filling objection. That on Friday morning around 200 affected villagers of Tilamol, Cacora, Curchorem, Bansai, Cacumordi and other villagers gathered at the office of the Dy-Collector Quepem and later submitted a joint memorandum to the Dy-Collector demanding to withdraw the notification for land acquisition.

The memorandum stated the PWD before proposing to make the Tilamol Sanguem court road a four lane one no traffic survey has been done, as the existing road which has the capacity of 150 vehicles per hours is sufficient for another 15 years as the present traffic flow on the road is just 30 to 50 vehicles per hour.

The memorandum further states that under the garb of public cause the government is planning to widen the road for the benefit of the mining industry by spending 500 cr. Of public fund which is illegal and unjust.

That Curchorem is 5th most populated municipality of Goa with a population of 30,000. Kakoda health center and other two major hospital namely Dr. Sonu Kamat and Dr. Satish Kudchadkar are right on the road. Twelve schools with 6000 secondary and 3000 primary student commute on this road. No where in the world dirty cargo like iron or is hauled through the heart of such a town, not even in Bihar and Jharkand states that memorandum further.

That due to the acquisition immense losses will be cause to the houses, shops, compounds, trees, Crosses, Tulsi-Vrindavans and parking spaces will be affected. That agricultural land being acquired are tenanted and are under Command Area Development Authority , such land cannot be acquired. Mining transport is already affecting the public health, sanitation agriculture and horticulture widening the road to make way for 4 lane will aggravate the problems states the memorandum further.

That as the local self government namely the Xeldem panchayat and the Curchorem Cacora Municipal Council disapproved the widening project, the administrative approval for the road widening is illegal in view of 73rd and 74th amendment to the constitution.

That as the last date for filing the objection ends on 6th of August the affected villagers sought extension of time by another 15 days to file objection.

The Dy-Collector Agnelo Fernandes assured the villagers to look into matter and to do the needful.

John Fernandes