Xelvon locals extract assurance from Cabral on jetty opposition

Margao: BJP’s Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral found himself in an uncomfortable position on Saturday when Xelvon residents, led by Manojkumar Naik, former Assolda sarpanch who now heads the Curchorem BJP mandal, protested outside his office. They demanded clarity on his stance regarding the controversial jetty project proposed in the village.

The demonstration, which included Curchorem mandal vice-president and Xeldem zilla panchayat member Sidharth Gauns Dessai, saw villagers confronting Cabral over the proposed jetty and an associated road overbridge. Naik clarified to TOI that he was protesting as a “concerned resident” and former elected representative of Xelvon, not in his capacity as BJP mandal president.

As Cabral faced the protesters outside his office, Naik told Cabral that villagers would not permit the jetty under any circumstances, fearing it was meant for coal handling. Protesters also objected to the proposed road overbridge (ROB) meant to replace the railway level crossing, saying it would only serve the interests of the jetty proponents while offering no benefit to locals. They demanded the ROB be relocated or scrapped entirely.

Cabral assured demonstrators of his support. “I will support you just the way I did in the past. If need be, I will take you all to the chief minister too. Coal tumkam naka, maka naka (If you don’t want coal, neither do I)”.

Speaking to TOI later, Naik expressed his disapproval over the failure of the authorities in responding to their concerns. “We persistently objected to the proposed jetty all these years. However, despite representations to various authorities, we received no replies.” He said that the gram sabha unanimously opposed both the jetty and ROB, and while the chief minister promised action within 15 days during the last legislative assembly session after Cabral raised the issue, nothing materialised.

Adding to villagers’ suspicions, the state environment impact assessment authority reportedly discussed the Xelvon jetty proposal in a recent meeting. “We suspect the project is being moved forward by keeping villagers in the dark,” he said.

While expressing satisfaction with Cabral’s assurance, Naik said, “We hope the govt listens to our demands, else we will decide our future course of action.”