MARGAO
South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes on Monday took up cudgels for the beleaguered farmers, cultivating the fields opposite the Margao railway, saying the farmers deserved a salute rather than displacement for cultivating the fields of their ancestors.
The MP said he would take up with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan the plight of these farmers since Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about Atmanirbhar Bharat and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Swayampurna Goem.
“The Union Agriculture Minister calls upon farmers across the country to bring more area under cultivation. But, here in Goa, it is exactly the opposite. The government is snatching away lush green agricultural fields for commercial purposes. We hear these stories across Goa, where the government is taking over agricultural fields for non-agricultural purposes,” Viriato said.
He added: “After listening to the plight of the farmers, it is evident that these are third-generation farmers, who have been continuing the occupation after their parents and grandparents. I will place these facts before the Union Agriculture Minister and also raise the issue in Parliament of how farmers are being displaced from their fields.”
Suspecting the government’s intention behind acquiring the paddy fields around 20 years ago, Captain Viriato questioned, “If the land was acquired for a transportation centre, why was the scope changed to rehabilitation of migrants in 2009? In the first place, the government had no right to acquire land for a transportation centre when it was already acquired for a bus stand.”
Former Margao Municipal chairperson Savio Coutinho, who accompanied the MP to the fields, said the government had changed the zone of the fields from agriculture to C-I zone for commercial purposes instead of reverting the zone to agriculture,” Coutinho added.
Farmers seek MP's intervention
The beleaguered farmers have made an impassionate plea to the South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes to help revert their agriculture fields for agriculture by scrapping the commercial activities.
Farmer Claudius Dias submitted a memorandum to the MP to use his good offices with the State government as well as at the Centre to ensure they are not displaced from the fields of their ancestors.
“On one side, the government wants the people to take up agriculture and increase the production. Here, the government wants to displace the farmers by acquiring their fields for commercial purposes. We request the Goa government to revert the zone of the agriculture fields to agriculture,” Claudius pleaded.
