SANVORDEM: The residents of Mirabag-Sanvordem have opposed the Rs 280 crore bhandara proposed on River Zuari, at Sanvordem. The Water Resources Department (WRD) project aims to pump water from the bhandara to Panchwadi and promote tourism by launching tourist boats.
The locals suspect the Rs 280 crore bhandara to be a mini dam, which will submerge the entire village along with their houses, the village school, the Rakhandev Temple and a Ganapati Visarjan site.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
They allege that the local panch did not inform them about the project and argued that the project will affect the entire area upto Mugoli-Sanguem, and cause flooding and submerge the houses adjacent to the Zuari River.
After receiving the news about the project, the locals held a meeting with Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar, Curchorem legislator Nilesh Cabral, sarpanch Chinmayi Naik, chairperson Pradeep Naik, and other panchas.
The residents fear that water stored in the proposed bhandara will damage their homes, especially during the monsoon when the area is already prone to flooding. Additionally, the downstream area will be affected by high tides, potentially submerging their houses.
The villagers have also complained that a number of mangrove trees were cut for the project. They told O Heraldo that they have written letters to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the WRD and other departments.
Dhana Naik, a resident of Mirabag, said, “The local panch has not taken us into confidence. The local MLA must also be looking at his benefit from boating and other activities that will come up. That’s why this is a secret plan to build the bhandara. They want to take revenge on us and we know this. They are trying to pressurise those who raise their voice. We don’t care. We are ready to fight. We will decide. We don’t want to be betrayed.”
Another resident Sumit Naik said, “If the bhandara is of Rs 280 crore, it will surely be a dam. If a dam comes up, the entire Mirabag village will be submerged. The department people came and started cutting the trees and did soil testing. Not a single villager knew about what was going on. So all the villagers called for a meeting to save our future. Our village can be submerged after five or 10 years.”
Vishwamala Naik, a local said, “We don’t want the bhandara whether it is a State or Central project. It will surely submerge our village. Most houses are located near the river bank. Even now water seeps into the houses during high tide especially during the monsoon. Earlier we have had floods. We request the CM to support us and scrap this bhandara project.”
Sanket Bhandari said his house is close to the banks of the Zuari tributary and could get flooded. “The government primary school in the village was damaged a year ago when the river overflowed. The walls of the school can collapse any moment.”
