MARGAO
Smiles lit the faces of beleaguered Benaulim farmers as their hard work and determination to continue agricultural activity at the Tolleaband lake has paid rich dividends.
Even as a fleet of heavy trucks plied on the western bypass under construction dumping mud along the alignment to pave way for the bypass, a group of farmers Raymond D’Costa and Minguel Fernandes supervised the harvesting activity as workers went about the task of filling the yield in the sacks for transportation.
With the government bulldozing with the western bypass through the lush green fields of Tolleaband water body by throwing all pleas by the farmers to the winds, farmers seemed to have resigned to their fate as is evident by the fact that they now cultivate whatever is left out of the bypass alignment.
For a moment, Raymond, Miguel and other farmers seemed to have forgotten how the government rejected their plea for the construction of the bypass on stilts as they harvested moderate to good yield of paddy. “Unlike last Vaigon season, we are blessed with a good yield of paddy. We thank the Almighty for giving us the strength to continue agricultural activity despite the government’s move to build the bypass through our fields,” Raymond said.
Miguel echoed similar sentiments.
The duo, however, have raised apprehensions over the drainage facility at the Tolleaband water body due to the construction of the bypass. “The government has time and again maintained that a number of culverts have been put in place along the 600-metre odd bypass passing through the Tolleaband water body. If you see the culverts, there’s water-logging near the culverts indicating they are not built by taking into account the drainage aspects,” Miguel added.
Both Raymond and Miguel pointed out that though the government is building a culvert near the Mercado mall, the culverts on the Khareband-Varca roads have not widening till date, with locals raising fears of inundation of the low-lying areas during monsoons.
