Panaji: Residents of Arrosim, Cansaulim, Velsao & Pale – members of Village Action Group against Double Tracking (VACAD) wrote to the Central Empwered Committee about the proposed railway line double tracking and how it would affect their villages, livelihoods, sustenance and homes.
The existing railway tracks that run through the above-mentioned villages have old vintage residential houses, schools, hospitals, religious places and community halls, within 100 meters on both sides of the existing track.
The signatories recalled how the proposed expansion was rejected by the then Chief Minister back in 2013. They also referred to a September 2017 meeting, convened by an ex-Member of Parliament that was attended by Railway Authorities, local Members of Goa’s Legislative Assembly and the local Sarpanches. After the joint meeting, there was a public declaration by the Railway authorities that “doubling of the track beyond Majorda was not being considered’.
With this matter seemingly settled, it was a shock to villagers when murmurs of land acquisition began in June 2020, amidst the lockdown and they risked their personal health and safety to be on the ground. They state, there was no explanation on how this project that was rejected turned ‘Special’ in 2020.
Max de Souza a resident of Velsao village and a retired engineer by profession and one of the signatories stated: ” I have grown up in admiration of the Indian Railways as a robust organisation with exceptional engineering and administrative systems in place. Countries across the globe have sought the services of their construction wing. Attempts to push through the double track with no proper ground, feasibility study or adherence to established guidelines is rather surprising and worrisome.”
As signatories who are landowners for many generations the letter highlighted expansion from a historical point-of-view. The meter gauge railway track was laid by ‘West of India Portuguese Guaranteed Railway’ (WIPGR) a private company (headquartered in London) in the year 1881. Landowners permitted laying of the meter gauge track and hence no land was acquired or compensation received. The stretch through the villages was laid on an existing pathway and this is why old heritage houses face the existing track on either side. The meter gauge track was subsequently converted to a broad gauge around 1990. In addition, landowners had left 10 meters on either side of the track as Right of Way (ROW) that continues to be used as motor-able access to some of the existing old houses. They also serve as vibration barriers and monsoon water drains.
South Western Railways (SWR) now claims ownership to these 10 metres of sidetrack without any documents to support this assertion. On the other hand, Portuguese property ownership documents mutated after work of laying the track in 1881, define the property limit on the trackside as ‘railway’. But documents that have not been mutated continue to define the land inclusive of the rail track as one portion. This has not been addressed from either the Government or the Railways. The proposed second track would be laid in the extended 10 meters over which the railway authorities technically have no legal documented right.
Many concerns were raised during a site inspection by the State Environment Minister and Railway Authorities on the 20th October 2020. The land acquisition plan was based on a 1968 Survey Plan and does not reflect newer structures erected during the past 52 years. In addition, it does not capture the land contours and environmentally sensitive water bodies. Apart from noise and dust pollution, land owners pointed to several cracks surfacing on walls of old heritage structures and double tracking will render many houses landlocked.
Though the government vaguely has stated that double-tracking is primarily to boost tourism and intra-state transportation, the signatories rightly pointed out that express trains do not stop at intermediate stations proving it is not being done in the public’s interest. On the contrary they have systematically increased movement of coal rakes from 176 in September 2020 to 208 rakes in November 2020, despite the Chief Minister stating that coal transportation will be reduced by 50 % within a year.