Farmers from Sanguem who have paddy fields and other agricultural plantations in a portion of government land where the IIT project has been proposed, have vowed to fight until death but will not allow the government to set up the project at Cotarli-Sanguem.
The farmers criticised Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai from bringing the project to Sanguem and that too, at the same place where the Government had earlier decided to scrap the project.
A farmer, Maria Cruz, who claims to have a 30-year-old plantation at the proposed site, rejected the idea of compensating farmers with an alternate place.
“We have a fully grown plantation in the proposed area and it will take another twenty years for the plantation to come up if we are shifted elsewhere,” claimed Cruz.
“We are at a loss for words over the ruckus allegedly caused by pro-IIT supporters at the meeting of farmers at Sanguem last Sunday. MLA Subhash Phaldessai is working more for personal benefits and at the cost and loss to the farming community,” said Cruz.
Another farmer, Anfa Mascarenhas, said Phaldessai’s claim that the farming community is being backed by Babu and Savitri Kavlekar is totally false.
“We are here to fight on our own and we do not want any support from politicians to save our lands from being grabbed and used for the IIT, which has no benefits to Goa and the Goan community at large,” said Mascarenhas.
Mascarenhas brought to fore the alleged attacks on her by the pro-IIT supporters during the meeting on Sunday.
“We want to know from the government if it intends to make Goa into another Bihar or UP,” said Mascarenhas.
Another farmer, Mapari, said he has been cultivating the farmland at Cotarli village within the precincts of the proposed site for IIT since the time he was a youngster.
“We fail to understand why Phaldessai wants to impose the project at Cotarli when it was rejected earlier,” he said.
The farmers said they were willing to die but would not allow the IIT project to come on the pristine land at Cotarli-Sanguem which is surrounded by wild trees all around and a mountain full of flora and fauna.
