Date: 29/04/2023

From:
Concerned villagers of Usgao, Khandepar, Querim, Savoi Verem,
Vaghurme and Volvoi villages,
c/o Nilesh Barkelo Gaude,
H No 588, Siddhanath Nagar, Palwada, Usgao, Ponda, Goa
Tel. 7387638306

To
1) The President of India

2) The Prime Minister of India

3) Shri Jaswantsinh Bhabhor,

Hon’ble Minister of State for Tribal Affairs,
Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi – 110001

4) The Under Secretary (SCA/Grants),

Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi – 110001

5) Shri Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa,

The Minister’s Block, The Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa – 403521

6) Shri Govind Gaude,

The Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs,
The Minister’s Block, The Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa

7) Shri Subhash Shirodkar,

The Hon’ble Minister of Water Resources,
The Minister’s Block, The Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa

SUB: REQUEST TO STOP ILLEGAL, ANTI-PEOPLE BARRAGE

CONSTRUCTION FROM SONARBAG-USGAO TO MURDIWADA-
KHANDEPAR AT PONDA TALUKA, GOA

Dear Madam/Sir,

We are shocked to see a copy of letter No.

WRD/WDXI/SDIV/F.414/47/2023-24 dated 27.04.2023 from the Assistant
Engineer, SD IV, WD XI, WRD to the Police Inspector, Ponda Police
Station asking for police protection to forcibly carry out construction of a
barrage in our village against our will and interest, starting from
02.05.2023. We write to you to inform you that this project is not just
illegal, but also completely against our interests, and that we will oppose
any such move on the 2nd of May or thereafter, since, if this barrage is
constructed, our village will be submerged in floods destroying our houses
and properties. Some of the important points for you to kindly consider are:

1. GRAM SABHA RESOLUTION: The Village Panchayat of Usgao-

Ganjem resolved unanimously on 19.02.2023 that the subject works
be dropped on numerous valid and irrefutable reasons. The most
serious issue is the regular flooding of our village since 1982, which
has already caused collapse of numerous houses and displacement of
many families, forcing the Government to build alternate houses for
our tribal families under 20-point programme. The construction of
the barrage will sound the death knell for hundreds of tribal and
other families due to resultant floods. A copy of the Gram Sabha
resolution is attached as Exhibit A.
2. ILLEGAL UNDER GOA LAND USE (REGULATION) ACT, 1991:
The construction work proposed to be started on 2 nd May 2023 is
based on NOCs given by a few of the tenants/occupants of the lands
concerned. However, these lands are tenanted and therefore come
under the ambit of the Goa Land Use (Regulation) Act, 1991 and no
construction can be carried out on these lands without first acquiring
them. Therefore, the construction proposed to be started under police
protection on 2nd May 2023 is illegal. A copy of a letter written to the
Executive Engineer, WD XI, WRD giving the details of the violation
of Goa Land Use (Regulation) Act, 1991 is attached as Exhibit B.
3. CRIMINAL TRESPASS INTO OUR LANDS: The proposed
construction work is planned to be carried out by trespassing into our
 private lands, without our permissions. There is no access to the river
bank without passing through our agricultural lands, for which we
are not willing to give any permissions. We will strongly oppose any
attempts to trespass into our lands, since we know that this is only
for destroying our village.
4. NO PUBLIC INTEREST – ONLY FOR PROFITS OF
SALGAONKAR AND OTHER CORPORATES: The proposed
barrage is only to provide water for Salgaonkars and other corporates
to speculate with large ecologically sensitive lands in Savoi Verem,
Querim and other villages, with disastrous implications to the entire
Ponda taluka. The barrage project is an atrocity on the tribal and
other local communities of our villages, and we will take every
necessary step for justice and peace.

In the view of the above, we plead with you to kindly prevent the use of
police force on 2nd May 2023 to carry out illegal works in our villages
against our interests, failing which we will do whatever is necessary to save
our Democracy, Constitution and Country from abuse of police force and
government machinery.

Thanking you in anticipation,