Team Goemkarponn
Loutolim:
Farmers from Loutolim have lodged fresh objections to the government’s latest land-acquisition notice for the proposed Borim Bridge, warning that the project will severely damage the village’s traditional khazan agro-pisciculture system. Their objections say the authorities have moved ahead without proper studies, public consultations or updated environmental impact assessments.
The farmers argue that the current alignment threatens biodiversity, will destroy productive farmland and could disrupt centuries-old water-management structures that support both paddy cultivation and seasonal fish farming. They have also questioned the need for a second bridge, saying the government has not justified why the existing infrastructure is insufficient.
The dispute is already before the High Court and the National Green Tribunal, where farmers are challenging the alignment on environmental and legal grounds. They maintain that parts of the proposed route cut through ecologically sensitive khazan land that falls under coastal and wetland protection norms. With the new acquisition notice issued despite these cases, farmers say the government is attempting to push ahead even as judicial proceedings continue.
Community representatives have reiterated that they are not opposed to development but want an alignment that avoids khazan fields and respects long-standing local livelihoods. They have called on the government to reconsider the route or present an alternative that does not compromise the region’s agro-ecological heritage.
