A meeting was convened on Tuesday to discuss the issue of the alleged encroachment of the right of way of Velsao villagers by the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) which is undertaking fencing work related to the doubling of the railway track.
Cortalim MLA Antonio Vas assured the villagers about having a joint meeting with the deputy collector of Mormugao, the villagers and the RVNL officials soon.
The group of Velsao villagers who had come to the meeting were annoyed about the blatant intrusion allegedly committed by the RVNL into their properties while undertaking the fencing work.
One local lady told reporters that the meeting was specially meant for those people whose property has been encroached upon and whose right of way has been blocked by the RVNL. She said that the Velsao villagers are facing problems since the RVNL started the fencing work along the existing track. There are right-of-ways which are used by the locals to cross the track and access their houses.
Another local said that the villagers have been asked to produce their property documents by the deputy collector of Mormugao when actually they are the complainants in this matter. The villagers are against the doubling of the railway track, considering the consequences they will have to face.
Now with the RVNL doing fencing work next to the track, the right of way traditionally used by the locals is being blocked. “Our MLA has assured us of a joint meeting with the deputy collector, RVNL along with us. We hope that some solution comes out of this meeting,” said one of the villagers.
Meanwhile, Cortalim MLA Antonio Vas told reporters that he will request the deputy collector of Mormugao to have a joint meeting with the locals to discuss people’s grievances. “I feel a public hearing is a must to sort out this issue,” he added.
