Chandor: After failing to get help from local MLA Clafacio Dias, the people of Chandor and Guirdolim have come together to form their own front – Villagers Against Highway 08.
The villagers led by Domnick Mendes, who is a co-convenor of the front, have began petitioning authorities on their own against the proposed highway passing through their heritage village.
In a press note they have said that “despite the road being marked as MDR 40 in the notified Regional Plan 2021, the nomenclature of State highway 08 is given to it.”
They said that they had approached the local MLA but he showed no concern and was not proactive to pursue the matter with the authorities.
“In fact he even declined to accompany the village delegation to TCP minister and now claims that he met the TCP minister who asked him to show the alternative alignment.”
“It is indeed amazing that he failed to point out the alternative alignment to the minister, which was already there in the regional plans 2001 and 2021.
He even told some local people that it is impossible to get the highway denotified. “Therefore sensing that our MLAis not serious about the issue, we were forced to approach our former MLA Joaquim Alemao to support our cause and help us if possible.”
The press note says “the MLA claims that he raised the matter in the legislative assembly, which no villager has seen on the televised assembly proceedings.” “We request the MLA to please produce the evidence from the assembly proceedings so that the truth can be established.”
The village group is totally apolitical and hence we feel free to approach anybody and everybody who can help us in our endeavour. We have independently approached the PWD minister, who even visited the village and after understanding the whole issue, assured us to get the mistake rectified.
We also met and submitted a memorandum to CM who agreed that the highway should not pass through the heritage village.
