Team Herald
MAPUSA: In what is turning out to be an absolutely cruel and insensitive act, a helipad was built literally overnight, 2200 sqm land without informing and taking consent of the farmers, has not just destroyed their fields but their earnings as well. To make matters worse, there is no clarity on whether compensation will be paid and/or the lands will be restored.
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On Wednesday, Herald went on-site to conduct a ground report, after several complaints of demolition work in process but found no work has started yet. In a harsh irony, the “helipad” is now being used for playing cricket and by drivers learning to drive, even as the Shri Dev Bodgeshwar Xerkari Sangh, an association of local farmers are gearing up to approach the court after fast-tracking their original complaint with the Deputy Collectors office against the destruction of their fields
Farmers have asked for immediate demolition of the helipad within the next 24 hours, but there has been no immediate response except putting up a board of ‘Caution- Demolition work in progress’ placed but there is no demolition work has begun.
For 20 years people of Mapusa are waiting for a bus stand, but it takes 20 hours to build a helipad (albeit for VVIP security) by trampling on a common farmer’s main family earning asset
Sanjay Barde President of Shri Dev Bodgeshwar Xerkari Sangh, said, “Around Rs 50 to 60 lakh, which belong to the tax payers has been wasted for the construction of the access road and a helipad. Hot-mix carpet is directly layered on the mud. “If it wanted, the government could have removed the shade of the new bus stand for the landing of the helicopter since the bus stand area was enough but instead of doing that, the
government thought of wasting taxpayer’s money.”
He added, “Without informing and taking the consent of the farmers, the work has been carried out and destroyed the agricultural land. We expect this Government and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who is temporarily holding the chair of Chief Minister to compensate the farmers and those who sustained loss due to damage of property and also to restore the land to its original state failing which, we will file a PIL in the court against the government.”
Kalpana Pednekar, a farmer who faced major loss for this helipad project said, “If concerned authorities had informed me even two hours prior to commencing the work, I would have managed to save some property including the two hoardings. Without giving any intimation, the land was bulldozed and the property was damaged. Two hoardings costing around Rs 4 lakh each are destroyed completely. Three trees giving a good yield of coconuts are chopped. There were 116 cement poles which were erected as a boundary for an area of 2200 sqmt land are missing, seven rings of a well are missing while some equipment and plants which were kept aside from the nursery are also missing.”
When questioned about her demand from the government, Pednekar said,” I have written a letter to Mapusa Municipality as well as Dy Collector seeking justice. The loss is almost around Rs 15 lakh. I request the concerned authorities compensate for the loss caused.”
Along with Pednekar, there is another farmer named Ashok Naik who has also claimed for loss. Meanwhile, another farmer Pai, said that he tried to inquire with everyone as to what he should be doing now but he was only made to go from table to table, office to office with no reply or solution.
