Chimbel villagers escalate protest outside Santa Cruz MLA’s residence

Panaji: Chimbel villagers on Sunday escalated their fight against the twin govt projects— Unity Mall and a 17-storey Prashaasan Stambh— by taking a morcha to Santa Cruz MLA Rodolfo Fernandes’ residence.

While police managed to stop the angry protesters outside the MLA’s house, their sloganeering continued for a while, with a demand that the legislator should come out and talk to them.


The villagers claimed their MLA sided with govt instead of fighting with them against the two projects.

The MLA, however, said that no one came to him to discuss the project and that the villagers have stormed his residence to argue with him. He alleged the protest was orchestrated by RG and that the party also instigated villagers to bring a morcha to his house. “RG has politicised the issue. My intention is to protect the Toyyar lake. Govt declared the area as a wetland,” he said.

Fernandes added that he was willing to talk to the people and invited five persons for talks. The villagers declined, stating Fernandes should step outside his house and address them.

It’s been two weeks that the villagers have been protesting to scrap the two projects.

Ajay Kolekar, an RG functionary, said, “I don’t understand why the MLA is so scared to talk to his constituents. People who got him elected were at his doorstep, but he did not want to talk to them.”

Former AAP Goa president Amit Palekar, as well as the new elect, Valmiki Naik, also joined the protesters.

Govind Shirodkar, chairman of Chimbel Wetland Committee, said, “In 2018, Fernandes supported them when an IT park was proposed to be set up in the village. The IT project was finally scrapped. But the same person does not want to talk to us. He is a coward,” he said.

Chimbel locals said that the construction of both projects was too close to the Toyyar lake, which served as an important source of water supply to nearby areas, including Panaji and St Inez, and was also an essential lifeline to the residents.

The villagers later headed to panchayat member Gauri Kamat’s house.

The villagers will hold a protest at Chimbel panchayat’s office on Monday and planned a mega march to the state assembly on Thursday when the winter session will be on.