Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party welcomed the Hon Supreme Court decision to cancel the clearance of the standing committee of the National Board of Wild Life to the double-tracking project in Goa.
AAP Leader and ex-MLA and minister Mrs. Alina Saldanha, thanking the members of the CEC for its recommendation after understudying the ground reality, said that this is a victory of the people of Goa. Saldanha said it exposes the BJP Govt’s nefarious plan to destroy the environment of Goa and the homes of Goans with a project that was completely against the interest of Goa and Goans. Saldanha recalled how she had marked the alignment of the double-track in her Cortalim constituency, and demonstrated to the CM Pramod Sawant how the homes of Goans would be destroyed by this needless project.
Vice-President of the Goa unit Adv. Surel Tilve said that the project threatened the world-renowned biodiversity hotspot of Goa, namely the Western Ghats. Tilve said that AAP had consistently opposed the linear projects, which were conceived only to kowtow to the coal lobby at the cost of land and environment of Goans.
Vice-President Sandesh Telekar, welcoming the decision, said it vindicated the actions of the protestors. Telekar demanded that the police cases filed against the activists be withdrawn, now that the Supreme Court itself has ruled in favour of the protestors’ demands.
Vice-President Valmiki Naik stated that the Sawant Govt and South Western Railway must now admit their misadventure, and respect the wishes of the people of Goa by not reapplying for the NBWL approval. Naik further stated that any attempt to rekindle the double-tracking project would prove that CM Pramod Sawant is only interested in destroying the legacy of late Manohar Parrikar who in 2013 had vehemently opposed the same project in the interest of Goa.
