MARGAO
In the midst of high rise residential and commercial building, these farmers from Aquem-Baixo are back in their fields ahead of the new paddy season.
Unmindful of the fact that successive governments have only paid lip service to their plea to return back their agricultural fields and restore the agricultural zone, these beleaguered farmers have started the agricultural operation on a positive note.
A visit to the site showed that a couple of power tillers were on the job to till the land, while the farmers, both men and women, used their traditional farm implements to prepare the ground for the sowing operations. Overlooking the green patch of agricultural fields lay two imposing concrete high rise structures “ one, a residential housing society and a hotel. The agricultural fields, which are being cultivated by the farmers, is the green patch one could come across as one travels on the Margao railway station road.
Take note, this green patch of land was acquired by the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) around decade and half ago to build a transportation centre. A sustained battle by the farmers to stop the authorities to take away their fields to house concrete structure has forced the government to go slow in evicting the farmers and snatching their livelihood.
Even as they hope that better sense would prevail and the government of the day would restore the agriculture zone and return back the land of their ancestors, the farmers feel that the government should restore the zone of the fields to agriculture to ensure that no concrete structures comes up on the lush green fields in the future.
Says farmer, Claudius Dias: “If the government is serious in protecting agricultural land, than it should immediately denotify the acquired land to agriculture and return the fields back to the farmers. Our farmers have been dependent on these fields for their very livelihood and survival.”
Representing the beleaguered farmers, Claudius has been doing the rounds of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGDPA) to lodge the objections of the farmers and to demand that the land is reverted back to agriculture zone. “A year ago, officials of GSUDA had secured the acquired fields with barbed wire fencing. We do not know the real intention behind the move to fence the fields when farmers have been demanding return of the fields back to them. Hence, we have lodged our objection to the SGPDA to revert back the status of the land back to agriculture,” he added.
The farmers plan to knock the doors of the Urban Development Minister, Vishwajit Rane, who also holds the TCP portfolio, with a plea to restore the fields to agriculture.
