Thursday, January 29, 2015

Alarm bells ring for villagers of sleepy Varkhand

Varkhand: A buzz of activity near their houses has slightly disturbed their usual complacence. The row over the proposed airport had been distant, but now they sense that the earlier gamut of sequences is heading for a climax.

As a group of workers toil in the sun to raise a pandal for a public hearing on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study on Mopa airport, dhangar families seem to continue with their daily chores, trying to gauge what the future holds for them.

"At least seven of our generations have lived here and gone to their heavenly abode," says septuagenarian Sonu Vithu Varak, a resident of Simeche Advan, Varkhand-Nagazar. The small hamlet lies on the southern fringe of the vast plateau.
 A grassy shrub land with sparse vegetation stretches out into the horizon. The peace and tranquility is only disturbed by the workers group.
29/01/15 Keshav Naik & Paul Fernandes/Times of India
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