Protest planned against highway expansion at IFFI venue

In a bid to seek national and international attention, a protest would be held at the ongoing International Film Festival of India tomorrow against the expansion of the national highway in the state.

The sit-in would be staged by members of the National Highway Diversion Action Committee, its convenor Sunil Desai told reporters in Panaji today.

The protest would be held in front of the Entertainment Society of Goa office, he said.

"This will be peaceful sit-in. We want national and international media and delegates attending the festival to know about the issue," Desai said.

NHDAC has demanded that the state government should change the current alignment of the national highway expansion, which is passing through urban areas.

The action committee, which has held a public meeting and road blockages in the past, has threatened to intensify the agitation.

Desai said the sit-in will highlight the intense damage the national highways current alignment would do to the state.

He said state government will be notifying Section 3 (D) of National Highways Act to acquire land required for the expansion.

"Chief minister Digamber Kamat had assured that he would not acquire even an inch of land for the highway expansion. But the information received under Right to Information specifies that the state will have to acquire 51.60 lakh square metres of land for the purpose," Dinesh Waghela, a senior activist said.