MARGAO
After Benaulim, farmers from Seraulim village now fear the worst if the government and the National Highway bulldoze its way with the controversial 2.75 km remaining work on the stretch of Western bypass project.
Incessant rains over the last one week have left the paddy fields inundated and waterlogged. And, with the existing drainage put in place for the western bypass along the wholesale fish market proving inadequate, farmers claimed that rain water has not receded yet, leaving the crops damaged.
Beleaguered farmers have now drawn the attention of the Seraulim village panchayat to work out a solution to issues relating to water-logging of their agricultural fields and destruction of crop.
Responding to the situation, Seraulim Sarpanch Leslie Dourado has dashed of a letter to the Executive Engineer, Water Resources, bringing to his notice flooding in and around the NH-66.
In his letter, Dourado pointed out that due to heavy rains over the last few days, there has been extensive flooding in and around the wholesale fish market area. “The intensity of the flooding is so immense that the fields that have been cultivated behind the Church are also submerged for the last few days,” the Sarpanch stated.
The panchayat has called for a joint inspection to validate the facts at the earliest so that corrective measures are adopted for the future.
Seraulim panch Kevin D’Souza, who had taken up the cudgels for the farmers in the past, pointed out that the floods in and around the western bypass, has become a relatively old story. “We have seen what the bypass construction has done to the farmers in neighbouring Nuvem. Now ever since the bypass has touched the wholesale fish market road in Seraulim, flooding has started to destroy the paddy fields at higher levels (behind the Seraulim Church) due to flooding”, Kevin said.
He said farmers who have cultivated behind the Church in Seraulim have reported that their crops have been destroyed due to floods. “The flood waters have not receded. We fear the farmers of Seraulim will also give up cultivating theirs fields and the food security will be at risk again”, he said.
Kevin added: “We expect the western bypass to be completed soon connecting Seraulim to Navelim. However, the 2.75 km eco-fragile stretch has not yet touched (Mungul, Benaulim). Just imagine the impact of this project, if pushed on the people of these villages, in its current form”.
The panch said the plight of farmers and concerns of greens will be taken into consideration by the 10-member panel constituted by the National Green Tribunal before taking a final call on the issue.
“The biggest loser is the farmer of all these villages as this is a disaster in the making in the name of development”, he added.
