RAIL TRACKS BLOCKED, TRAFFIC DISRUPTED BY AGITATED TRIBALS

PANJIM: Rail and road traffic has been disrupted in South Goa as agitated tribals blocked NH17 and NH 4A and squatted on railway track at Balli to press for their long pending demands.   "Agitators have blocked the track at Balli and Rajdhani Express had stopped in Karwar", deputy general manager, public relations, Konkan railway corporation Baban Ghadge said.

He said that the rail traffic was being regulated and Rajdhani would stop at Canacona station. Rail traffic was not affected in North Goa, he said adding that the railway police and Goa police had rushed to the spot to restore normalcy.

South Goa police were taken by surprise by the rasta and rail ' roko' agitation by tribals Wednesday morning. A senior officer said that they would clear the traffic shortly.

UTTA leaders had threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands were not met by May 15. "This was an extended deadline given to the state government", UTTA president Prakash Velip said.

Two days ago, Velip had said that "anything can happen anytime as tribals are very angry with the negative approach of the state government." BJP legislator from Poinguinim and scheduled tribes leader Ramesh Tawadkar said that the "casual approach" of the state government had forced the tribals to shift to an "aggressive mode" of agitation.  "There's unrest among the tribal population in Goa as several representations have been made to the government listing 12 demands but they have got only assurances from the government," Tawadkar said.

Setting up of a scheduled tribes commission vested with all powers of civil court, filling up of backlog vacancies, imposing a ban on selling of land belonging to ST communities to non-STs, setting up of an independent tribal department, strengthening of ST finance and development corporation by providing adequate funds, implementation of tribal forest Act, setting up of planning authority for STs welfare, are among the main demands the tribals are agitating for. They are also demanding twelve percent political reservation in the state legislative assembly for tribals. Goa will go to polls by May 2012.

A senior bureaucrat said that the state government had made special provision for tribal welfare in the budget for the current financial year and that tribal department had been set up while other demands were being considered.  "Not much has changed for the tribals at the ground level. The government needs to be sensitive to our demands and fulfill all our demands in the golden jubilee year of Goa's Liberation", Tawadkar said.