Bhoma villagers opposing highway expansion receive notices to ‘maintain peace’

PONDA: In anticipation of law-and-order issues arising from the agitation by the villagers of Bhoma protesting the expansion of National Highway (NH) through their village, the Ponda Deputy Collector has issued notices to around 22 Bhomkars. The notices require them to appear in person on February 2 before the Deputy Collector to explain why they should not be required to execute a bond of Rs 10,000 and provide security through bonds of one or two sureties of the same amount under Section 107 of the CrPC. The bond is meant to assure that they will ‘maintain peace’ for a term of six months.

The notices were issued in connection with the incident on December 20 last year, when the Bhomkars refused to comply with orders to conduct a survey of trees.

Local leader Sanjay Naik responded to the notices, expressing that the locals have been peacefully protesting for the past year against the road widening plans. “The notices are an attempt to create panic and fear among the villagers by an autocratic government. Our agitation has never been violent. We had insisted on being shown the plan of the road widening project. However, the authorities did not provide the plan, and instead, they detained 150 villagers, including women, and carried out the work using police force,” said Naik.

Naik questioned the state of democracy and the citizen’s right to express dissent, stating that the notices were an effort to suppress their voice. He affirmed that their peaceful agitation to protect village culture would continue democratically, and the villagers would respond to the government over the issue.

The notice issued by the Deputy Collector mentions that the villagers of Bhoma had opposed the valuation process, and did not allow the PWD officials to carry out their work. “Opponents are very aggressive and arrogant in nature and there is every possibility of committing serious cognizable offence from the hands of the opponent, and breach of peace in the locality which may turn into law and order. Whereas the above information had made me form the opinion that you may perhaps indulge in violent activities thereby committing breach of peace and disturbing public tranquility,” read the notice from the Deputy Collector.