- Advertisement - Valpoi: The locals of Shel-Melavali who fought successful agitation against the proposed IIT project on Sunday tied rakhi to trees to celebrate Raksha Bandhan. They have also warned that if government do not withdraw criminal cases filed against them during the IIT protest then they will be forced to resort to the agitation. The residents went in the nearby forest area to tie Rakhi to tree spreading a message to save the forest cover for which they had fought against the project. The villagers from She Melavali Murmune Dhada Paikul and Maigine villages celebrated the Rakshabandhan in Melavali village forest while tying the rakhi to the trees. Since last year onwards we are celebrating the Vrushabandhan while tying the rakhis to our village forest trees to save our village nature. We had protested against the IIT project to save our Nature and to save our ancestors property. So we demand to the Government that to withdraw the all criminal cases against the Melavali villagers which had rigistered during the Shel Melauli protest against the IIT project. Also we request the government to give the onwership of our own land which has registered on the name of IIT project on 1/14 form by Goa Government said a villager Shashikant Sawardekar.

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