A section of Lolim villagers is running a signature campaign against the Film City project

CANACONA: Almost a month after the Lolim Comunidade approved handing over its 250 acres of land on the Bhagwati Plateau to the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) on a 99-year lease to set up the controversial project, Lolim villages have come out to protect the plateau. Vowed to continue the fight.

He has questioned whether there are any “ulterior motives” behind the project to increase the real estate value of the land and its surrounding areas.

Villagers are now running a signature campaign in Canacona taluka, and some of them will seek membership of the Lolim Comunida in May to strengthen those among the comunida’s members who are opposing the project.
The protest is not limited to Lolim village only. Poinguinim resident, Vyjayanti Prabhu Gaonkar, a retired teacher, expressed his strong views against the project in the Poinguinim Gram Sabha.

Earlier, the Lolim village council had passed a resolution against the project, but the decision taken at the general assembly meeting of the comunidad on February 4 was a major blow to the locals.
Dennis Fernandes, Chairman of Lolim Citizens Committee, highlighted the importance of the eco-sensitive plateau and pointed out that it serves the community not only in terms of environment, wildlife, fauna but also in terms of natural resources and local economic activities such as farming and animal husbandry. Is.

Locals fear that the village does not have the infrastructure to carry out the project, which will create a strain on resources, leading to most jobs going to non-residents.
Om Prabhugaonkar, one of the few dissenting Comunidad members, also raised questions about the “ulterior motives” behind the instrument to increase the real estate value of the land and its surrounding areas and bring in projects like entertainment and theme parks.
He believed that with digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI), so much land was not required for a film city, which should have been preserved for the community.