23:42 IST
the blue room
Baina, Goa

A second round of protests was scheduled for the morning today. This was to happen at the Loutolim-Verna plateau site, the forested slope that is being destroyed to pave a highway. I hitched a ride with a Vasco local activist and we zipped on his bike to the site. The sky was a clear bright blue with tufts of white clouds, fields upon fields of paddy fields on either site till we reached the site. Bright red earth, on which stood bright yellow dozers and excavators, above which stood a bright blue sky. The contrasting colours made me weep. The sun was directly above us, drilling holes into my head, right though to my toes.

Over 40 people turned up, walked up the hill, and told the workers to stop. They were firm and assertive. They demanded permission papers, information. What they received was not enough. The person in charge of the work was a polite man, who worked for a private company that was contracted by the state govt. He remained calm, but was not really in control. He showed all papers that he could, but they were not enough. Through questions, constant demand for more information, and assertion of rights, the activists got the construction-destruction to stop. It is apparently going to stay this way till they get the papers in order.

To be able to stop a govt project on grounds of information demand is an incredible achievement. When people get together for a common cause, show their will and determination to stay at something till their demand is met, a lot can happen.