MARGAO
Nonagenarian Domingo Costa could barely walk or talk, but he made it a point to make his presence at the proposed new Borim bridge site when told that PWD officials are visiting Loutolim to seek views of farmers and villagers on the high level new bridge.
In his late 90s, Domingo pleaded with folded hands to a PWD official to save the khazan fields, making a fervent plea not to bulldoze with the bridge and destroy their age-old fields and livelihoods.
Lalita Fernandes was another farmer who made her presence at the site when the PWD officials came to hear their grievances. She displayed before the PWD officials fresh fish netted from the khazan, driving home the point that the khazan fields are cultivated during monsoons and pissiculture during rest of the year.
The message dished out by the farmers and villagers waging a sustained battle against the new high level Borim bridge was loud and clear “ please don’t push the new bridge through the khazans and save the centuries old khazan fields from destruction.
Domingo told a PWD official that the farmers are opposed to the proposed bridge since the bridge will destroy their fields and their livelihood. “We have grown up cultivating these fields over the decades. Please don’t destroy these fields. We have eked a living and supported our families on these khazans fields,” he said, while making a fervent plea to the officials to leave the fields for cultivation.
Lalita echoed similar sentiments. “How can the government even think about taking the bridge through the khazans when farmers are eking a livelihood on them? The same government does not stop requesting the people to take to agriculture. Here is an example when the cultivated khazans are sought to be destroyed,” she charged.
While displaying fresh water fish netted from the khazan, Lalita said the farmers have never left the fields fallow and will never allow the government to the diabolical plan to take over the fields and destroy their livelihood.
Farmers and villagers who assembled at the site told the PWD officials to work out an alignment for the new bridge, which will not interfere with the khazans.
The PWD officials descended at Loutolim on Tuesday morning to hear the grievances of the farmers and villagers and to explore the possibility of finding a new alignment for the new Borim bridge. The inspection comes a day after a delegation of farmers called on the PWD Principal Chief Engineer for a meeting which was also attended by Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, who represents Nuvem constituency.
Activist accuses govt of bulldozing bridge for coal transportation
MARGAO: Social activist and Loutolim villager Xavier Fernandes has charged the Goa government for bulldozing with the new high level Borim bridge to pave way for coal transportation.
He told the PWD officials that the villagers of Loutolim and neighbouring areas will never allow the government to have its way with the controversial bridge. “We know the government game plan. All these projects are intended to facilitate coal transportation under the Sagarmala project. Already, a number of jetties have been proposed at Rassaim and across the Zuari River. This is being done with the sole objective of creating these infrastructures to facilitate coal transportation,” he charged.
“Today, the farmers have displayed the fish catch from the khazan, besides vegetables. They have one prayer to the PWD officials not to take the bridge through the khazan fields. We hope the PWD and the government will take cognisance of the sentiments of the farmers and villagers and scrap the bridge,” he said.
Xavier said the farmers and villagers have conveyed a message loud and clear to the PWD officials that they are ready to die and face bullets, but will never allow the bridge to take shape in the khazan fields. “The farmers have all vowed to save their khazan fields for posterity,” he said, as he hoped that the PWD officials will put up a positive note to their higher ups and stop the bridge from coming up in the khazans.
Farmers want proposed bridge alignment shifted, says PWD
MARGAO: After listening to the grievances of the farmers and villagers, a PWD official told the media that the farmers have called for shifting the bridge alignment to save the khazan fields.
“We had come to hear the grievances of the farmers. During our interaction, the farmers maintained they are cultivating the khazan fields and carrying out pissiculture activity after harvesting. They have demanded to shift the bridge alignment insisting that no construction should be undertaken through the fields,” the official said, adding that he would convey the points raised by the farmers to the higher ups for action.
