Panaji

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will meet protesters on Wednesday evening, ahead of their planned demonstration against the Unity Mall project near Chimbel village, Panaji.

The mall, proposed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to promote local handicrafts and commodities, has faced opposition from locals, who have been on strike at the site for nearly a month. They have warned of a large-scale protest on January 30.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Sawant will hold the meeting at 6 pm at his official bungalow in Panaji. “This meeting is being held in line with the prior understanding that, following the site survey, representatives of the Chimbel agitation and the state officials concerned would participate in a review chaired by the CM,” the office said.

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An expert committee has been surveying the project site, after locals raised concerns that construction could negatively impact a nearby lake.