The residents of Loliem and Poinguinim in South Goa are once again fighting to save their ecologically rich plateaus—an uphill battle they’ve been waging since 2006. Over the years, the villagers have fended off proposals for IIT campuses, large eco-tourism projects, industrial estates, and real estate ventures. But new threats have emerged, with the local Communidades now rushing to sell large portions of the plateaus to private players.
Despite clear Gram Sabha resolutions—legally binding and adopted by both villages—that declare the plateaus as protected for water security, grazing, biodiversity, forest produce, and other community services, the Communidades of Loliem and Poinguinim are allegedly bypassing these laws.
In Poinguinim, an application for road access through the Kulti plateau is being processed, supposedly to benefit a private landowner. However, records suggest the access is actually being sought by Communidade members themselves to facilitate the sale of plateau lands.
In Loliem, a critical general body meeting of the Communidade is scheduled for July 6, 2025. Among the applications expected to be approved are eight proposals—covering over 1,00,000 sq m—submitted by local MLA Ramesh Tawadkar under the name Mallikarjun Multifruits Processing and Producer Co. Ltd. Other proposals include a solar plant, a tourist highway amenity centre, a revenue-generating Communidade building, a private Sainik School, and a cricket ground—each of which, locals say, violate both the law and the community’s will.
Villagers have condemned what they describe as “blatantly illegal and desperate” efforts to sell off communal lands. “If the plateaus go, the villages won’t survive,” said one local. Their protest isn’t just emotional—it’s rooted in practical, scientific understanding of the fragile ecosystem and their dependence on it.
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