OLD GOA
Continuing with his mission to find out the truth behind the flooding of Neura khazans with saline water, St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar hitched a boat ride to travel to the sluice gates and get first-hand experience of the problem, on Thursday.
Accompanying the MLA was the chairman of Neura O Grande Tenants Association Ganesh Naik, Talathi Abhay Kerkar and a group of villagers.
On reaching the sluice gates via sea, MLA Borkar found that the doors of some were broken while some had no doors at all.
Having found the truth, MLA Borkar then gave direction to the chairman of Neura tenants khazan association to fix the damaged doors and also to put doors to the sluice gates which had none.
“I am giving you 15 days to fix the problem failing which I will be forced to write to the Mamlatdar to dissolve the managing committee and take over the charge,” Borkar warned the chairman, Naik.
Later speaking to reporters, Borkar said he has found several problems that are responsible for the flooding of Neura khazans with saline water.
“In some sluice gates, the doors are damaged, and in one instance I found that there were no doors at all to one sluice gate and that too for the last 10 years. Such type of negligence has led to the saline water entering the Neura fields,” the MLA pointed out.
“I have told the chairman of the Neura khazan tenants association to get the problems fixed within 15 days and to ensure that maintenance of the bundhs, as well as the sluice gates, are done periodically,” he added and informed that since his last visit on the issue, in some places the doors of the sluice gates have been repaired.
“I am hoping that the tenants association committee members will act proactively in maintaining the sluice gates and the bundhs which will help in reviving farming in Neura,” Borkar opined.
