Mirabag bandhara stir intensifies with torchlight rally

Margao: The agitation against the proposed bandhara at Mirabag intensified over the weekend, with a torchlight procession in Curchorem on Sunday drawing strong public support.Protesters vowed to continue until the project is scrapped.The rally gave fresh momentum to an agitation that began when Mirabag residents objected to the water resources department’s (WRD) plan to construct a bandhara on the Zuari river. Though officially described as a water supply augmentation project, villagers allege it is intended to benefit nearby industries rather than the village.State Congress president Amit Patkar addressed the gathering and questioned govt’s changing claims about the project’s capacity — from 30 million litres per day (MLD) to 50 MLD, and now 60 MLD. “If govt cannot give a consistent answer on something as basic as the project's capacity, how can the people of Mirabag be expected to trust anything they say? This shows that the project is a big scam,” Patkar said.Villagers said the shifting figures have deepened their distrust. Sanket Bhandari, representing the villagers, earlier alleged that the 2 MLD shortfall cited to justify the project is already being used by a local industry, and that the projected deficit is manufactured to serve industrial interests.WRD engineers are scheduled to visit Mirabag before Feb 28 to make a PowerPoint presentation. The department has also given written assurances that no construction or pipeline work will begin before a public hearing.