TEAM HERALD
PONDA: The local panchayat proposes but the farming community opposes.
In a bid to revive farming activity in Queula-Ponda, the Queula panchayat undertook cleaning of agricultural land by removing plastic waste from the fields. However farmers in the area have shown virtually no interest in resuming farming.
According to information, fields in Queula Panchayat are affected every monsoon as a large area of agricultural land is invaded by plastic waste, one of the reasons why farmers in the area stopped cultivating the land, apart from economic issues.
Last year, the Queula Panchayat took the initiative and with the assistance of the PWD, cleared plastic waste spread across agricultural land along the nullah in the village.
The nullah originates in Bethora and passes through Curti Panchayat and Ponda city. It connects to the Zuari River after passing through Queula and Bandora panchayats.
Every year during monsoon, the nullah overflows at some locations and plastic waste flows into agricultural land.
“Our panchayat through PWD last year undertook work to clean nullah from the Dhavli bypass to the village border. Even plastic waste in the agricultural lands along the nullah was cleared. The idea was to allow farmers to cultivate land but sadly none of the farmers showed interest in resuming farming activity,” Queula Sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar told Herald.
“The panchayat also took initiative and through the Madhavrao Dhavlikar Trust, installed gates to the Bandhara near Shantadurga Temple by spending about Rs 70,000 and distributed another Rs 80,000 among farmers as help to take up land cultivation but the land has remained uncultivated,” he said.
