Benaulim's blogger Maxie Rodrigues assulted, hospitalized

Benaulim village resident and blogger Maxie Rodrigues was today assaulted by two people at 11.30 am in his village of Benaulim at a spot called 'Voltar'. He was hit on his face and left on the road by two people from Benaulim itself that are involved in encroaching the public water pathway - 'nalhas'.

Maxie is involved in maintaining Benaulim Villagers Action Committee (BVAC) blog www.bvacbenaulim.blogspot.com that depicts problems faced by Benaulim village due to real estate invasion.

He then in an injured state with blood oozing out of his nose went to the Colva Police Station to lodge a complaint. PI Edwid Colaco then sent his for medical examination. At E-ray test conducted it was confirmed that he has suffered from fracture of the nose bone.

Colva Police returned to meet Maxie Rodrigues at 2.15 today and his statement is recorded in order to register the case and proceed ahead on investigations.

When contacted Maxies at Hospicio Margao he said that two people - David Fernandes and his brother Raymond Fernandes from Benaulim itself are his attackers. Their Father Satan Fernandes was present at the site and was hurling abuses at him (Maxie Rodrigues).

The reason for attack according to the injured Maxie is that yesterday he had photographed illegally encroached nallah by the attacker's family. "Today they have taken revenge against me with this assault" is what Maxie told when he was contacted in Hospicio still taking treatment at 3.20 pm today.

What has happened is indeed very sad and repentable as with the influence of Political godfather fellow villager taking pictures of the illegality is being targetted with assault.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Breaking News II - Benaulimkars surround Cova Police Station

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:59 PM

Further to the police stopping and searching the the Benaulim bound buses from Panjim 's Azad Maidan Meeting at the Zuari Bridge, police apparently looking for 8 youths from Benaulim who have been charged (falsely perhaps) with assaults at the yesterday's Benaulim meeting with the BDO, the entire village of Benaulim has now surrounded the Colva Police station braving heavy downpours prevailing on the Police to release the arrested youths.

Things could go out of hands and it is presumed that the Benaulimkar's resolve has been made to call a spade a spade.

Hopefully, better sense will prevail with the police officials of the Colva Police station.

floriano
goasuraj
10.59 hours - 16/9/08

Breaking News- Benaulimkar's being Arrested.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:51 PM

The buses that arrived in Panjim with Benaulikars to attend the massive DCSCM Solidarity Meet at Azad Maidan this evening have been stopped by the Police at the Zuari Bridge on their return trip allegedly on the instructions of the Tourism Minister Micky Pacheco and are in the process of arresting the male Benaulikars at this very moment.

After an alert call to me from Seby Rodrigues (the naxalite) from Panjim, I have just talked to Geraldine Fernandes, the chairperson of BVAC who is with the crowd at the site of incidence. Couldn't get more info from her as her cell's battery is running low. This stoppage and the possible arrests has something to do with the yesterday's explosive meet the Benaulimkars had yesterday.

floriano
goasuraj

Benaulim roars and some ears open!

Big Breaktrough BANAULEKARS CRY IS HEARD The center is teaching Goa's Higher-ups that GOA IS FRAGILE....... Outside people can understand what Goa is but our own leaders as they have become slaves of Corporates determinted to loot Goa at all costs.............

Colva Police Inspector Edwin Colaco apologised after he illegally stopped 6 buses on Zuari bridge Cortalim junction carrying Benaulim people from Panjim on 16th September 2008. He must be dismissed from service for his actions. Any way he is going all out in his efforts to get Rudolf Barretto of Benaulim out of his Job for contributing so positively to the welfare of his village. So let PI Colaco too get a taste of what it means to be removed from the service. Even if he is dismissed he is guaranteed to be hired either by Westwinds, Micons, Grace constructions or any of the remaining 23 destructive mega projects in Benaulim for he has been carrying on all the dirty job of suppressing opposition to the projects.

Tension in Benaulim People gathered at the main road hearing the news of arrests by the colva P.I of two activists at Cortalim Juction.....
People marching towards the Colva Police station on September 16th night........

Huge crowd gathered at the entrance of colva police station at 9:30pm to ask as to why authorities had arrested the activists and on what grounds.......
The Huge Man came for the rescue of Banaulekars like an ANGEL in the odd hours without looking back. Its Adv. Anacleto Viegas .....(GOD SHOWED THE WAY) And it should be very clear to the Higher-ups by now as to Who are instigating locals to creat an unlawful situation in Benaulim....Its Goa Police-Builders-Politician nefarious nexus!
People gheraoed the Colva police station..........late night .........and left at around 11:30pm........when they saw the activists were freed but P.I WAS NOT TO BE SEEN...........

Once again a historic day for the Sarpanch of Benaulim..... on 15th Sept. she announced a Panchayat body meeting to pass some more Mega Projects files which were pending as every Serectary used to join the duty taking advance sick leave!

People questioned the B.D.O as to why Gram Sabha is not held.......and no Panchayat body meeting will be held unless and untill Gram Sabha is held........
It was surprising to see a B.D.O present for a panchayat body meeting.......can authorities justify the B.D.O.'s presence for this meeting ? Has he shifted his office from Margao to Benaulim Panchayat to facilitate land grab of Benaulim?

Heroic and bold people of Benaulim questioned the B.D.O why Gram Sabha is not held and what action has been taken for cancelling the Gram Sabha by the Sarpanch...
Woman in yellow dress is Benaulim Sarpanch who is all out to finish Benaulim. But Banaulekar will never allow her to succeed in her dangerous designs to finish Benaulim and its future.


People did not allow the Panchayat body meeting to proceed.......NO RESOLUTIONS, NO LICENCES UNTILL AND UNLESS GRAM SABHA IS HELD...... Then false police cases were filed on Benaulim villagers by few Panchayat members....the struggle continues....

BVAC Team

The Micon Realtors scandal in Benaulim

The five metres wide communidade nallah running between the two properties of Micon, now encroached upon and reduced to just 3 metres. Will the TCP explain as to how the builder claimed the area for FAR calculation when the two properties cannot be ammalgameted due to this communidade nallah runing in between.

And soon this pond will be filth... from Micon


The public access to the left and the sheer drop of over two metres to the right. Is this a safe access for elderly people?
The mouth of the communidade nallah

The public access blocked with bamboo and palm leaves fencing.

The cracked retaining wall of the public access
A close-up of the cracked retaining wall of the public access
Up.. down... down... here we go down the wildberry bush

Another view of the public access blocked with bamboo and palm leaves fencing.

of public access and broken limbs

BVAC Team

Booster dose from Sundarlal Bahuguna in Benaulim

Internationally renowned environmental activist and leader of the"Chipko" movement for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas, Sunderlal Bahuguna, addressed a large gathering organised by the GanvGhor Rakhonn Manch [GGRM] in association with the Centre for Panchayati Raj [CPR-PS] on 3rd September 2008, at Dando ground, Benaulim. He was accompanied by his wife Vimla, noted environmental activist and leader of Karnataka's Appiko movement, Mr. Pandurang Hegde, and others.Sunderlal Bahuguna released the book by Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma entitled PARADISE LOST... ALMOST.

A Prakruti report on the Western Ghats on as is where is basis' in 2006. He also released the fourth issue of PARPOTI [Konkani word for "Village Messenger" who went from street to street to make public announcements when newspapers were not read by many and a radio was a luxury few could afford.] edited by Soter D'Souza for CPR-PS.

This issue has one model of a Participatory Planning Process for developing Regional Plan from among the models discussed by the GBA.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bahuguna complimented the people of Goa for leading a struggle that is an inspiration to the people in the rest of India. "It will awaken the children of Bharat Mata to come to her rescue against the relentless onslaught of urbanisation." he said. "Democracy thrives where the people are awakened. It is the people who make democracy live, not governments and elected representatives, he added.

On the Tourism front, Shri Bahuguna informed the people that the Swiss do not sacrifice their environment for their tourism. Switzerland,with its villages and forests is still one of the favourite tourist destinations in the world. People leave their mansions and plush surroundings all over the world to enjoy the natural beauty of Goa. Do not try to provide the tourists the very thing they try to escape from, it will kill tourism, he reminded. Maintain your natural beauty. "Why do you want to cut your nose to own a nose stud?" he asked metaphorically.

Earlier, Smt. Geraldine Fernandes, convener of GGRM and leader ofBVAC, welcomed the gathering and specially thanked the members of the print & electronic media and the Hindu brethren who had come to the meeting in large numbers to listen to Shri Bahuguna, inspite of the celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi, the family festival in almost every home accross Goa.

Smt. Romana Cardoz from Siridao asked the Government to jail the entire village if it thought the Gram Sabha did any wrong, but not to target with trumped up charges about ten youth who are about to start their careers. Arrest the promoters of the projects at Siridao for disturbing the village peace, she said, naming the persons involved.Menino de Bandar sang a song on SEZ and "development" being promoted in Goa these days while Shri Teotonio da Costa from Majorda asked the people not to get distracted by the red herring of the script controversy that was raised again in the Goa Legislative Assembly, 16years after its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1992. In the market place we are forced to speak Hindi and Kannada as the petty traders do not know to speak Konkani. Let the Goa Government correct that situation first and then speak about the script, he said.

The Government is afraid of the people's unity in the Gram Sabha meetings and wants to divide the people on script and religion basis so that it can get away with the rape of Goa's land, he added.

The Chipko movement which literally means 'to stick' (to the trees), spread throughout Uttar Pradesh from 1973 and achieved a major victory in 1980 with a ban on felling of live trees above 1000 metres MSL inthe Himalayan forests by order of India's then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. A similar ban was later also implemented in the states ofUttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. The movement spread to HimachalPradesh in the north, Karnataka in the south, Rajasthan in the west,Bihar in the east and to the Vindhyans in central India. In additionto the ban in Uttar Pradesh, the movement succeeded in halting clear felling in the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas, as well as generating pressure for a natural resources policy more sensitive to people'sneeds and environmental factors. He received the Right To LivelihoodAward in 1987.

Fr. Maverick Fernandes of CSJP, Mr. Kumar Kalanand Mani of Peaceful Society, Soter D' Souza of CPR-PS, Pravin Sabnis of the GBA, Arch.Kamlakar D.Sadhale of Nirmal Vishwa, Adv. Shanti Almeida of TBA, and representatives of village level movements across Salcete, Tiswadi and Bardez were present on the dais. Soter and members of the GGRM led the people in singing the song, "Utt Goykara, Utt!"

Mog asundi.
Miguel Braganza

Picture courtesy BVAC

Don't insult Benaulim Mr. Panchayat Minister!

31st August 2008

Benaulim Villagers’ Action Committee strongly condemns the insults by the Panchayati Raj Minister, Shri Manohar Azgaonkar in the newspapers today as they are anti-people and fabricated lies, to suit the corrupt.

Mr. Azgaonkar will do well to explain the action of Panchayat Secretaries, who mysteriously go on sick leave on the eve of the Gram Sabhas and are subsequently seen attending duty at the Block Develoment Office [BDO] in the respective taluka HQ. He should explain to the people as to what action he has taken on the Panchayat Secretary, Mr. Subodh Prabhu, who deliberately sat on a construction proposal file, attended hearings and pronouncement of orders in the Office of the Dy. Director of Panchayats and kept the Panchayat in the dark about it, thereby facilitating the builder to get construction license under the ‘deeming’ clause which is abuse of office.

The Benaulim villagers have been peacefully agitating for their rights for the past five months. The BVAC and the people of Benaulim are demanding revocation of construction licenses through proper procedure based on gross irregularities, misrepresentation of facts and encroachment on public property. We challenge Mr. Azgaonkar to substantiate his statement regarding harassment to any of the Panchayat staff by holding a people’s darbar at the Panchayat Ghar or convening a special Gram Sabha meeting through the Panchayat. We promise to provide evidence wherein one of the Panchayat Staff has confessed to pressure from the higher authorities to give false statements/reports against the villagers of Benaulim.

If Mr. Azgaonkar is so clean and sincere on development, he should provide a honest, full-time Panchayat Secretary to Benaulim as a first step. Due action should be imitated against the Panchayat Body, which has consistently failed to hold Gram Sabha meetings as required under the law. Action must also be initiated on the Sarpanch of Benaulim who is yet to conduct a single Fortnightly meeting of the Panchayat Body from the time she was elected as Sarpanch, in contravention of the law. The Panchayat Minister must initiate action against the Director of Panchayats , Deputy Director of Panchayats-South and the BDO of Salcette, who have been sitting on a petition filed on May 12, 2008 under Section 200 of the Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 for dissolution of the Panchayat on grounds of persistent default in the performance of duties.

We also challenge Mr. Azgaonkar and the Chief Minister (who is on record stating that licenses can be revoked if construction rules and regulations are found to be violated) to visit Benaulim with his team from the Town & Country Planning Dept., PWD, BDO, the Directorate of Panchayats and the Dy. Collector. The villagers will be too happy to point out the violations and illegalities to the authorities and to the media. Let the whole world know. We challenge the authorities to take action on the acts of omission & commission committed by the authorities, including the Panchayat Body.

In Benaulim, the carpenter does not impart climbing techniques to the toddy tapper, the fisherman will never attempt to teach the mason to mix cement, the advocate never dreams of preaching on the pulpit and the visiting cobbler will stick to mending the shoes. The list is endless. In short they don’t preach what they don’t comprehend. They practice what they know. We suggest the Panchayat Minister does the same.

Seby Fernandes
(BVAC Convenor)

Related stories on this: click colored words for hyperlinks below

Azgaonkars' statement in herald

Azgaonkar's statement in navhind times

Benaulim Police presence in navhind times

Benaulim Police presence in herald

News of Gram Sabha being called off

Panchayat body playing truant on August 31 Gram Sabha