Goa iron ore dispute: Villagers clash with forest officials over transport from reserve area

Panaji: A group of villagers allegedly clashed with officials of the forest department on Saturday in Kushavati district of Goa over the transportation of iron ore from a proposed reserve area, police said.

According to the police, the incident occurred when forest officials stopped a large group of villagers from Kolamb from transporting the iron ore in a forest area.

"There was a minor scuffle between the two groups, but the situation was brought under control," police said.


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A senior Forest Department official said the ore was lying in the proposed reserve forest area, and shifting it without a valid auction is not permitted.

State River Navigation Department Minister Subhash Phal Desai, who led villagers, said the soil from an iron ore dump was being transported to a nearby location.

"It was not the transportation of ore for the purpose of selling it. The ore was being moved from the site to fill an area for the creation of a sports ground," the minister said.

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He claimed local youth did not have a playground because ore had been dumped at the place where they used to play.

"It was merely a matter of relocating the ore from one place to another within the same area. There was no reason for the Forest Department to create an issue over it," Phal Desai added.