Tuesday June 10 2008 00:00 IST PTI
KERI: While special economic zones meet with opposition for various reasons across the country, Cipla's pharma SEZ in North Goa's Keri village is garnering objection for “god's sake”. “For the first time since time immemorial, we could not perform our annual religious worship ritual at this place due to the SEZ,” Ramakrishna Jhalmi, a local youth, who is spearheading anti-SEZ agitation told PTI.
Bhootkhamb plateau, a 12 lakh sq metres area, atop Keri village, is the place where people from twelve different sects perform their annual ritual of worshipping their ancestors during the month of February every year, he said.
Cipla has planned a 304 acres pharma SEZ, Meditab specialities Pvt Ltd's, at this plateau, which has already been approved and notified by the central government.It is amongst the three SEZs, which are hanging fire, after state government's stop work order.
“The ritual has been going unabated for ages. For the first time, we could not enter the place as it has been given for the industrial enclave,” 60-year-old Vinayak Jhalmi said.“A huge compound wall has been erected and security guards forbid people from entering in,” Jhalmi said. The 12 sects -- Jhalmi, Parpati, Gurav, Kolshekar, Gobrakhanekar, Mhalo, Mhar, Gawada, Satarkar, Devli, Chari and Dhanagar -- have a unique tradition of getting together at this place on the plateau and offer ‘khichadi’ (hotpotch) near the banayan tree located here during Paush month of Hindu calender.
“These traditions are integral part of our culture,” Raja Naik, another villager said. The villagers in their letter to the Chief Minister Digamber Kamat had briefed him about the issue. “But nothing happened. Twice we sought to meet him personally to explain him about the problem,” Jhalmi said. The villagers, who had opposed tooth and nail Thapar Du Pon's nylon project at the same place in 1995 by launching a massive agitation, have once again raised their banner against Cipla's industrial enclave.“Even during nylon projects, we could perform our rituals. It's getting tough with the SEZ,” Ramakrishna Jhalmi said.
The villagers are opposing the SEZ as they fear that the project will affect their water resources as all the five villages surrounding this plateau depend on farming for their livelihood.
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