Chimbel residents end stir after govt order to relocate Unity Mall, Prashasan Stambh

Panaji: The residents of Chimbel called off their 44-day chain hunger strike as the tourism department and the general administration department, on Monday, issued an official notification on relocating Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh to another location from survey no. 40 and 40/1 in Chimbel.

The notification also promised to restore the areas destroyed during construction activities.


Earlier in the morning, the residents shifted their protest site from the construction site in Chimbel to Azad Maidan to intensify their protest.

The residents urged govt to re-notify the wetland area based on the recent survey.

The Chimbel residents were on a chain hunger strike since Dec 28 last year, opposing the proposed Unity Mall and a 17-storey Prashasan Stambh projects, which they said could potentially contaminate Toyyar Lake and put the zone of influence around it at risk.

Chimbel wetland committee chairperson Govind Shirodkar said, “Since the day govt proposed the project at this site, we Chimbelkars were firm in our stance on this. In order to save the lake, all our villagers worked and fasted tirelessly. We didn’t retreat from our efforts; all of us, the women and the youth of the village, stayed together in this battle. We fought this battle on the ground with a hunger strike; we made our case in the district court and brought the construction to a halt. As they say, all is well if it ends well. We gave a clear message to govt in the morning, and as a result, we have two notices in our hands.”

Earlier in the morning, the residents issued a one-day ultimatum to govt to issue two separate notices for relocating both projects by evening. Failure to do so, the residents would seek a meeting with governor P A Gajapathi Raju.

RG functionary Ajay Kolekar said, “This is the living proof that educated and informed citizens with unity and determination can get any decision in their favour.”

The residents earlier rejected a notification issued on Jan 29 by tourism department director Kedar Naik, saying that it was not the correct legal correspondence to the residents. They said that the chief minister convened a meeting with North Goa collector and other departments’ heads and issued the notifications by evening.

AAP Goa unit president Valmiki Naik was also present at the protest site. He said, “After 44 days, facing many hardships and struggles, we finally attained victory. With this chain hunger strike, Chimbelkars demonstrated to all Goans how a protest is done. They chose the path of satyagraha, one of Gandhi's ideas. As days passed, the protest gained momentum and intensified, instead of fizzling away.”