Goa, Oct. 4 -- Villagers of Chimbel staged a protest on Friday at Azad Maidan, urging the government to scrap the proposed Unity Mall project. The demonstration comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's one-day visit to Goa on Saturday, during which he is scheduled to inaugurate several projects, including the controversial 17-storey commercial complex.

Farmers, residents, and members of the Biodiversity Management and Wetland Committees raised concerns that the mall would destroy over four lakh square metres of wetlands and agricultural land. Speakers at the protest warned that the project would cause irreparable damage to both ecology and livelihoods.

"This land sustains farmers and acts as a natural flood buffer. Turning it into...