PORVORIM
After four tenders, work to reconstruct 3 sluice gates finally got underway at the Mansher near Srikrishna temple in Pilerne.
Saligao MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar launched the work in the presence of Pilerne-Marra Sarpanch Sandeep Bandodkar, President of Pilerne Shetkar Committee Suvarnasingh Rane, panch member Amarnath Govekar and a group of farmers.
Speaking on this occasion, Salgaonkar said the three sluice gates were damaged and as a result, saline water had entered the fields and damaged crops.
“This work had been tendered three times but no one participated in the tender. Finally, this tender was awarded for Rs 67 lakh. The contractors were not prepared to accept this tender because of the low margin and payment problems.”
“I took up the matter with Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar who emphasised the importance of the project to engineers of his department and to release the payment to the contractor soon,” said Salgaonkar.
Pilerne Panch Amarnath Govekar said the farmers committee had sent a proposal of repair to the sluice gate to the soil conservation department four years ago.
“The work order has finally been issued. It is the duty of the farmers’ committee to maintain this sluice gate every year,” said Govekar.
Pilerne Sarpanch Sandeep Bandodkar, President of Farmers Committee Suvarnasingh Rane and Sayajirao Rane also spoke on the occasion and thanked the Saligao MLA for taking the initiative to get the proposal cleared and getting the work order issued.
