Goa farmers won’t give land for stadium

Farmers of Thivim village in north Goa have refused to hand over their land to Goa Cricket Association to build a cricket stadium. "We don't want to host IPL. Instead give us some water so that we can sow seeds and harvest paddy," said Uday Malwankar, a farmer. "We are forced to keep our fields barren because there is no water."

The farmers were in Panaji on Sunday to attend a meeting convened by NGO Goa Bachao Abhiyaan to chalk out plans to ensure the land is not taken away for the stadium. "The issue is not just of paddy fields. There is a huge forest area…More than 5,000 trees are going to be felled for this project," said local activist Savio D'Souza.

Goa cabinet had given an in-principle approval for this project in March 2007.