MARGAO
Loutolim farmers waging a sustained battle to save khazan lands by the new High Level Borim bridge through the fertile fields have said that restoration of the damaged khazans is a good act, but all efforts should be made to avoid causing any damage to the age old eco-system due to human interference.
Loutolim Tenants Association Chairman Alberto Pinheiro was reacting to the speech made by Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavade in Parliament seeking central funds, besides technical expertise and robust policy framework from Centre to revitalize Goa’s khazan lands. “We cannot do much when disaster strikes whether due to climatic change or otherwise, But, what we can prevent is man-made disaster. I am saying this because we can see disaster and destruction of the khazan fields in Loutolim fields by the proposed new High Level Borim bridge. Certainly we can avoid the disaster in the making by building the Borim bridge by avoiding the khazan fields”, Alberto said.
Commenting on Tanavade’s address in the Rajya Sabha, Social activist Abhijit Prabhudesai said huge amounts of central funds (just for land acquisition cost is Rs 400 crores) are proposed to destroy over 1.5 lakh sq mts of khazans directly, and twice that area through collateral damage for a 60 metre wide highway at Loutulim, only for coal corporates.
“Stop such nonsense, and support our indigenous communities, whose infinite community knowledge and capacity, cannot be imagined by the centre. If Tanavade is serious, he must stop abuse of centre funds and powers to destroy khazans, and khazan protection in CRZ Notification 2011 must be maintained in CRZ Notification 2019”, Abhijit asserted.
Referring to the Rajya Sabha MP remarks on sustainable management of khazans to help bring back thousands of hectares of land under cultivation, another farmer said, “Tanavade spoke about bringing back thousands of square metres of khazan fields back to cultivation. In Loutolim, we are waging a battle to save the existing khazans, which will be destroyed if the bridge is built over our fields”.
In fact, farmers of Loutolim have been running from pillar to post, calling on all and sundry with the hope that the government will come out with the bridge alignment that would save lakhs of square meters of khazan fields. The farmers had at least four meetings with the Principal Chief Engineer, PWD Parsekar and his team. A delegation of farmers had even called on Union Road and Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari with a plea to save the khazan fields while building the new Borim bridge.
The issue had an echo in the ongoing session of the Goa Legislative Assembly with opposition MLAs demanding that the government protect the centuries old khazan fields.
Unlike other khazan fields, the fertile khazans in Loutolim are not left barren, but the Tenants Association ensures through affidavits that the farmers cultivate the fields every year.
