Goa villagers say no to Intl cricket stadium

THIVIM (GOA): While entire India is getting ready for cricket World Cup fever, Thivim village with 10,000 to 11,000 people, 12 kms away from here, is fighting the proposed international cricket stadium, which they say 'will eat into their livelihood.'

The Rs60 crore-40,000-capacity international cricket stadium planned in their village has been a bone of contention as land acquired for the purpose is cultivable farmland.

The Goa Cricket Association, with land acquired from state government, will be constructing this huge project.

"We don't want to part with our land for the purpose of cricket stadium. It's a farmland where we take paddy crop every monsoons. Now with Tillari irrigation project getting materialised, we will be able to take three crops a year," stated Vasanti Vaingankar.

Vaingankar along with 80 other farmers are resisting 1.3 lakh square metres land acquisition which comprises 60,000 sqare metres of agricultural, 43,000 sqare metres of private forest and 20,000 sqare metres of orchard land.

Thivim residents, gathered under banner of Save Thivim Front, are also objecting to the cutting of private forest land which houses rare variety of birds and few wild animals.

"Early morning, peacocks are seen here. Few foreigners often visit to click their pictures. If you are disturbing the forest, they will be homeless," Ladislaus Fernandes, another local, said.

The villagers are also questioning utility of this project. "Goa will get an international cricket match once in two years... Why do we require this project which will be turned into a white elephant," questioned another local.

The Goa Cricket Association (GCA), however, played down the entire controversy stating that the villagers are agitating to get extra compensation.

"The land acquisition proceedings are over a year back. We are starting the construction work in first week of April," Goa Cricket Association president Dayanand Narvekar, who is also vice president of Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) and a minister in state cabinet, said.

Pointing out the site plan, Narvekar, who represented Thivim constituency during his last tenure, said Forest Act allows diversification of forest and whatever trees that needs to be cut would be replanted.

"Every state has cricket stadium of their own.. why can't Goa have?," he questioned.

The cricket stadium project would be jointly sponsored by BCCI and GCA with former chipping in with Rs25 crore subsidy for the project, Narvekar said.