Chandor challenge to Fomento project

Chandor challenge to Fomento project

Herald April 13, 2014  

Sociedade de Fomento's plans to set up an iron ore handling terminal in Chandor run into a storm in the village

LISA ANN MONTEIRO

Last month, a general body meeting of the shareholders of the Comunidade of Chandor unanimously rejected a proposal from the major mining firm, Fomento, to set up a terminal for handling iron ore and other bulk materials in the village.

Fomento had asked for 96,000 sq mt of khazan land on three years lease from the Comunidade to “ complete feasibility studies and surveys” for the project.

In its letter of November 18, 2011 to the Comunidade, the mining company had said: “ We are contemplating an innovative and state of the art project in the form of a terminal for handling bulk materials. We need to conduct a technical feasibility study to be followed by economic feasibility and environmental assessment. It is only if the results of the study are positive that we may decide to go further with the same.”

But since the mining company wasn’t forthcoming about the nature of the terminal, the Comunidades shareholders became wary about the project. The shareholders and villagers from as far as Guirdolim who gathered for the meeting voiced their concerns about the consequences the project would have on the ecology of their village especially since the land on the banks of the river being asked for is in the vicinity of Timukh, a confluence of Zuari and Kushawati rivers.

Cutting down mangroves along the bank of the river would lead to soil erosion, villagers felt. Those at the meeting also questioned the validity of feasibility studies conducted by the company itself and not an independent body.

“ A feasibility study by the company will obviously be given in its favour. There is already so much silt in the rivers. I’ve seen the barges washing the silt into the rivers. This project will surely destroy the ecology of our village and its river. There are also traditional fishermen and toddy tappers who will be badly affected by the project. The company speaks of a state of the art conveyor belt and pipeline. But we don’t know whether they want to dump coal here,” Neil Carvalho, a shareholder says.

Luel Fernandes, attorney of Chandor Comunidade says the members of the body are apprehensive about giving land on lease because there is poor enforcement of law in the state.

“ There was no control by the previous government over mining activities.

Once we give this land there is no question of getting it back. The legal system is full of loopholes and the mining owner has money at his disposal.”

Fernandes in a report stated that the survey numbers being asked for “ consist of land distributed in perpetuity as zond strips to various individuals entitled to claim zond . So therefore no private individual has the right to claim possession of any short/ long term lease of these lands for any purpose”.

His report further states that the site “ remains of immense interest to the archaeological Survey of India. Dr SR Rao of Dwarka Temple discovery fame had done a preliminary survey and the matter still remains a matter of great archeological interest. Besides Chandor is a site that has been discussed at Unesco conferences in Paris and London. It would be completely destructive to the site if the land is leased for this type of activity as proposed by M/ s Sociedade de Fomento Industrial Pvt Ltd”.

Although the shareholders passed a unanimous resolution, there were dissenting voices, among them Gandhi Henriques, president of the Comunidade who argues the project could bring in revenue for the local body starved of funds.

“ The ten plots being asked for are just marshy lands. I had a vision for the Comunidade where this project could bring in some money. If we lease out the land to Fomento for three years, the feasibility reports would at least tell us the potential value of our land. It’s a state of the art project.”

When he tried to bring this up at the general body meeting his voice was drowned in the opposition from a large number of concerned villagers.

The concern over not getting the land back after three years is not a legitimate one, Gandhi claims. “ It’s not true that our land will be grabbed. The question of them not giving us the land back after three years just doesn’t arise. Somewhere one has to have trust. It doesn’t make sense just fearing things that may not happen.”

But others like Carvalho don’t believe this. He says the Comunidade will be in a fix if the company decides after three years to claim benefits under the Tenancy Act, especially considering the Comunidade doesn’t have revenue to fight the mining giant.

This newspaper got in touch with several officials of the Fomento group, including its chairman Auduth Timblo, who declined to give a comment on record.

Fomento, Goa’s second largest exporter of iron ore after Sesa Goa, was taken to the court by villagers of Xelvon near Curchorem where they had plans of setting up a river- side rail terminal project also known as the ‘ merry go round project’.

Carvalho says the residents here are prepared to go to any lengths to retain the village status of Chandor. Review Bureau