MARGAO
Even as the Benaulim panchayat and villagers kick started the signature campaign near the Maria hall, demanding the bypass on stilts, farmers of Tolleaband, where the bypass is passing through the fields have harvested a moderate yield of paddy this season.
They, however, are keeping their fingers crossed what lies in store for them as no one knows better than the farmers that construction of the bypass sans stilts will destroy and devastate their lush green fields.
Land filling of the Tolleaband fields was kept on hold for some days by the PWD after intervention of the Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas to facilitate the farmers to harvest the paddy. With the paddy being harvested with the help of harvesters, the farmers indeed keep their fingers crossed over the future of their fields.
A farmer Raymond Costa made a humble plea to the government to put the bypass on stilts and leave the fields for the farmers to cultivate. “Part filling of the fields have left my fields bifurcated into two. I do not know how I would irrigate the fields and take the machinery. Already part of my land has gone for the bypass,” he said.
Working on board the ship, Raymond went back to agriculture during the Covid-19 pandemic to eke a living. “My efforts have borne fruit as the harvest has been good. The government should help us by putting the bypass on stilts. The PWD had kept the land filling work on hold as per the request of our MLA Venzy. We only hope that the government would see reason and put the bypass on stilts.”
