Relief for Betalbatim farmers as creek opened to drain seawater from fields

The Betalbatim creek was finally opened on Saturday by a gang of labourers, giving temporary relief to the beleaguered farmers. Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas monitoring the work as the creek was opened on Saturday.

MARGAO
The Handi was finally opened at the Betalbatim beach on Saturday with the deployment of a gang of labourers, giving temporary relief to the farmers, whose fields were inundated with seawater for the last eight days.

Labourers drawn from the Water Resources Department excavated the sand on the shore to make way for the accumulated water to drain out in the sea. While the drainage of the water is expected to give a sigh of relief to the beleaguered farmers, they said their paddy is almost destroyed after it lay submerged under the seawater over the last eight days.

Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, who arranged the labourers from the WRD, told the media that this is not the first time that the issue of Handi (coastal creeks), have come to the fore during the monsoons. In fact, he has called for putting a system in place wherein the government departments, including the Revenue Department, CRZ and the Water Resources Department all coordinate in the interest of the farming community. “When seawater enters the creeks inundating the low-lying cultivated paddy fields, the farmers are not expected to make a way on the shore manually for the water to drain out back in the sea. You need to have a JCB machine to execute the work. For, a JCB can complete the work in an hour, which otherwise may require hours to do the work manually,” he said.

He added: “Hence, the Revenue Department needs to float a tender hiring a JCB and keeping the machine at the disposal of the concerned authorities. Since a JCB machine cannot be deployed on the shore, the CRZ should accord permission for use at the 23 creeks across the State during the monsoons for quick drainage of the sea and rain water in the sea.”

Saying the opening of the creek has given temporary relief to the farmers, Venzy said, the high tide may bring in seawater back in the creek and the adjoining fields. “To deal with the issue, the authorities should float a tender for the use of JCB to open the creeks by obtaining CRZ permission,” he added.

Benaulim MLA offers support to Nuvem locals amid minister’s absence

MARGAO: Saying he has taken up cudgels for the beleaguered farmers of Betalbatim at the invitation of friends and well-wishers, AAP Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas has said he has not come to do politics in Nuvem constituency, more so when the MLA representing the constituency, and Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira is indisposed.

He, however, made it clear that people of Nuvem constituency are free to approach him at his Benaulim office to take up their issues, even saying he may even open an office in Nuvem in the future.

“The area is represented by a Minister, who is indisposed. And, I do not want to talk about the Minister, but there is a failure in the CRZ department to identify the issues pertaining to the creeks,” he said. 

Making a plea to the people of Nuvem constituency to come to his Benaulim office to get their issues resolved, Venzy said, “if there is a demand and if you want me to take up your issues, I am ready to open my office in Nuvem to resolve the issues facing the people.”