Team Goemkarponn
MORMUGAO: A large number of affected villagers from Velsao, Pale, Issorcim, Cansaulim, Arossim and Utorda attended the second hearing at the Court of the Inspector of Land & Survey Records, South Goa Collectorate, Margão.
The matter has been heard since 06th January 2025 based on an application by the Additional Divisional Railway Manager, South Western, Hubli to the Court of the Collector/SDO & SDM, Vasco da Gama who was declared as the Competent Authority for the Land Acquisition process for the proposed double tracking.
In the interim, the Department of Revenue issued a gazette dated 26th May 2023 stating that in the year 1968-71 survey was carried out in villages thereby promulgating the records of rights by assigning survey no.
Wherein SWR had some land though surveyed but was not assigned survey numbers.
Therefore no rights were created like form-D in respect of land in ‘possession’ and ‘occupation’ of the SWR. The villagers who have title documents to this land dating back to the pre-liberation era have contested the claim of the SWR and the same is being heard at the court of the ISLR.
In the interim SWR through its contractor RVNL and Surya Con has been criminally trespassed on this land which the villagers have considered as their Right Of Way (ROW) since the 1800s. Despite not having Title documents, SWR has encroached into the private properties and commenced construction of the second railway track at Primeirovaddo, Velsao, blocking off the access to several heritage homes in the area, with cars blocked off in their compounds.
The residents have already filed the suit at the District Court, Margão, hoping for a favourable verdict in their favour.
Orville Dourado Rodrigues lamented the lack of concern from the Government of Goa towards its citizens who had been peacefully residing in their inherited land for generations much before the advent of the railways in the 1890s, thus ghettoising the Goans in their own land.
