Sunday 6 November 2011

Vanxim islanders wage vehement battle at Gram Sabha

Gram Sabha of Sao Mathias that was postponed last Sunday took place today 6th November 2011. 234 villagers from the revenue villages of Narva, Malar and Capao participated today. This Gram Sabha had attained importance for Bharat Mukti Morcha because of ongoing agitation against RP-2021 showing over 35,000 square meters of Vanxim land under survey number 8 as settlement zone. This land is a rivulet connected to Mandovi river and has two sluice gates, mangroves and mud flats.


Deputy Sarpanch Tulsidas Kundaikar was asked as to whether Panchayat members including Sarpanch had inspected the survey number before declaring it as settlement zone.Kundaikar replied that Panchayat members including Sarpanch had not inspected the survey number 8. Panchayat were grilled as to why Panchayat had not filed objections to the same. Kundaikar said that objections would be filed if the Gram Sabha members desires so.


Entire Sao Mathias Panchayat is Eco-Zone III and no construction of resorts/hotels are permitted as per the provisions in the Regional plan. 


Panchayat was asked as to whether there was any proposal from any company for Vanxim. Deputy Sarpanch responded that there was no proposal of any project in Vanxim with Panchayat. Yet he asked people to vote on the imaginary project. First the people who opposed the project were asked to stand up. 84 people stood up. Then people who supported the project were asked to stand up. 45 people stood up. Remaining 105 people did not support any side.


Though this voting proved majority of those people voted against the project the deputy Sarpanch manipulated the results by including those neutral 105 into the category of those supporting the project. This manipulated result was shared with media for further brahmanical manipulation.


And the results was there for every one to see. One of the TV channels in Goa - Prudent Media- owned by mining company and bamon ran three totally misleading newslines soon after the Gram Sabha: 1. Majority of Vanshikars support resort project at Vanxim (This is not true as majority of Vanshikars are opposed to the project and voting in the Panchayat was not restricted only to Vanxim people in spite of public demand to do so.) 2. Gram Sabha gives green signal to the project (This statement is wrong as in the voting 84 people opposed the project and only 45 supported it. 105 remained without voting. Kundaikar interpreted those remaining without voting as support for the project and prudent media headlined it!) 3. Some villagers still oppose (It is majority of the villagers of Vanxim still oppose).


Vanxim struggle of mulnivasi people against bamon raj is strong and growing. No amount of false propaganda of brahmanical media will succeed. Bharat Mukti Morcha supports this struggle. Jai Mulnivasi!

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