PANAJI
The State government has decided to bear the entire cost of repairing and strengthening protective bunds, replacing the existing 90 per cent government contribution, though the enhanced funding will be subject to the State’s financial position and prior approval of the Finance Department.
The decision effectively removes the financial contribution of 10 per cent that tenant associations were earlier required to make towards the repair of protective bunds. In a notification issued recently, Under Secretary (Revenue) Vrushika Kauthankar said the government has decided to contribute 100 per cent of the cost towards the repair or strengthening of protective bunds.
“The decision is subject to the prior permission of the Finance Department towards each such proposal considering Budget allocation and financial position of the State,” Kauthankar said in the notification. The government had, in June 2021, amended the Goa, Daman and Diu Agriculture Tenancy Act, 1964 through an ordinance, increasing its contribution towards bund repairs from 50 per cent to 90 per cent, while requiring tenant associations to bear the remaining 10 per cent.
Before the ordinance, it was 50:50 arrangement that had made it difficult for tenant associations to undertake repairs.
Protective bunds are critical to Goa’s agricultural landscape, particularly in low-lying areas along rivers and the coast. The structures prevent the entry of seawater into agricultural fields and help protect cultivated land from salinity. Several of these bunds are old and require regular repairs and strengthening. Their upkeep is particularly important for traditional agricultural areas, including khazan lands, where bunds and sluice gates help regulate tidal water and prevent saline water from entering fields. The Agriculture Department is responsible for undertaking maintenance of protective bunds to ensure that breaches and deterioration do not result in seawater entering agricultural fields and affecting cultivation.
