Margão, Goa: A significant number of villagers from Velsao, Pale, Issorcim, Cansaulim, Arossim, and Utorda gathered for the second hearing at the Court of the Inspector of Land & Survey Records (ISLR), South Goa Collectorate, Margão. The hearing, initiated on January 6, 2025, stems from an application by the Additional Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway (SWR), Hubli, for land acquisition related to the proposed railway double-tracking project.
The SWR’s claim is based on a 2023 revenue department gazette, which referenced surveys conducted in 1968-71, claiming possession of certain lands that lacked formal survey numbers or legal rights under Form-D. However, local villagers, armed with title documents dating back to Goa’s pre-liberation era, have contested these claims, asserting their rightful ownership of the disputed lands.
Despite the legal proceedings, SWR, through its contractors RVNL and Surya Con, has allegedly trespassed on private properties at Primeirovaddo, Velsao. This encroachment has disrupted the Right of Way (ROW) traditionally used by villagers since the 1800s and blocked access to heritage homes, with vehicles stranded in residential compounds.
Residents have approached the District Court in Margão, seeking relief against the alleged unlawful encroachment. Community leader Orville Dourado Rodrigues criticized the Government of Goa for its apathy towards its citizens, lamenting the marginalization of Goans who have peacefully lived on inherited ancestral lands long before the establishment of the railways in the 1890s.
The case has galvanized Goan villagers under the banner of Goencho Ekvott to protect their land, heritage, and rights against what they term as unwarranted ghettoization and neglect by the authorities.
