MARGAO
The sprawling lush green paddy fields spread across an area admeasuring 1.37 lakh sq mts at Madel at the entrance to the commercial capital, opposite the South district Collectorate is back in the news.
Beleaguered farmers have renewed and intensified their efforts to get back their fertile land which had been forcibly acquired by the government around two decades ago with a proposal to set up a truck terminus. After waging a sustained battle for close to two decades for the return of their acquired lands since 2002, the farmers have now knocked the doors of the judiciary for justice. At the same time they have decided to renew their plea to the government to leave their fertile fields for cultivation. And, they are bracing up to request the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to retain the fields in the green and agriculture zone, now partly notified as a special commercial zone in the ODP.
Says Mackanzie Da Costa: The farmers have petitioned the High Court for the return of their fields since they have not been put to use for the last 20 years. The fields were forcibly acquired for construction of a truck terminus, but are now proposed to be utilized for other purposes. This is one ground for the farmers to get back their fields. The farmers did not accept the compensation in protest against the forcible acquisition. We have full faith in the judiciary”.
The farmers are also planning to approach the Chief Minister with a plea to leave the fields for paddy cultivation and impress upon the government to return back their fields.
In the Margao Outline Development Plan (ODP) 2028, the SGPDA has partly notified the acquired fields as a Tech Hub, leaving the balance area for community farming -- the farmers. Now, that the government has opened the ODP for preparing a new one, the farmers are gearing up to knock the PDA doors with a plea to retain the fields as an agriculture and green zone.
Says Inacio Da Costa: “The farmers had never stopped cultivating the fields since 2002 when the government went in for forcible acquisition. The government had forcibly acquired the fields for setting up a truck terminus. We do not want any concrete structures in our fields”.
The Margao ODP 2028 which shows a portion of the fields as Tech Hub.
When the Congress government came back to power in 2007, an amusement park was proposed to be set up on the land, but the project never saw the light of the day. After the BJP returned back to power in 2012, a proposal was mooted to shift the KTC bus stand on the acquired land, but the farmers along with late Fr Bismark Dias and local MLA Vijai Sardesai hit the streets in protest, forcing the government to beat a hasty retreat.
The farmers were up in arms again in 2017 when the Water Resources Department (WRD) sought land admeasuring 4000 square meters of the acquired land to set up a Cyclone Risk Mitigation centre on the land. The project was shelved following the intervention of Sardesai, who was then a Minister.
As things stand today, the acquired land is partly shown in the Margao ODP as a Special Commercial Zone with 300 Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The blue shaded portion on the ODP is marked as GSUDA Tech Hub, while the balance portion of the acquired land is earmarked for community farming.
Priest blesses acquired fields, calls
for cultivation throughout the year
Holy Spirit Parish Priest Fr Amandio Valladares blessing the fields at Madel on Sunday coinciding with the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.
MARGAO: On Sunday, Holy Spirit Parish Priest Fr Amandio Valladares descended on the acquired paddy fields at Madel cultivated by the local farmers, to perform the ritual of cutting the first corn, coinciding with the Feast of Assumption of Mother Mary. And, the message from the fields was loud and clear “ “let us cultivate the fields at Madel, Ambaji, Dovondem and fields near the South Goa district hospital.”
“Let us cultivate the fields given by God throughout the year, for paddy cultivation and to grow vegetables. Let us show others the way”, Fr Valladares said.
The Parish Priest led the faithful in praising the Lord for the gift of fields and offered prayers for the government and other authorities to support the farming community.
“Let there be blessings on all the farmers. The government and others should help them. Our economy is based on agriculture. Since today is the feast of Mother Mary, let us pray to Our Lady to bless the fields and the farmers”, he said, while thanking the Almighty for giving fertile land in Margao as well as in other parts of Goa.
