Michael A. Fernandes 

I, being one of the affected citizens of Santa Cruz Assembly Constituency, find it deemed fit to express the reaction which is either on air or being within the walls of the residence or suffocated by the good will people on the interview given by Tony Fernandes, (Herald, December 10, 2017) on the simple ground of fear and there being no freedom to express dissenting opinion in the present modus operandi of those in power.

Mr Tony Fernandes, MLA, uttered his deep longings which were boiling since the time the results were declared of 2017 election whereby he considered himself to be the blind follower of the Master Mr Babush and the people of his constituency to be taken for a ride. The Hon’ble MLA disclosed that he formulated the road map for the development for his constituency and it is with the Government. It is not disclosed who were taken into confidence to adjudicate the primary needs of the people. It appears development has been looked into as per the vision of his master and Taleigao has been referred to as the standard for the development of the constituency. The glaring scandal is at sight, the fertile agricultural land, the back bone of the economy of Taleigao people had been transformed into concrete city to be a gold mine for the builders lobby and in the process wiped out the granary title of the Village Taleigao.

The St Cruz constituency is also a village of people whose life depends upon agriculture. The mountains-hill had already become concrete jungle and what remains now are the vast tracts of the agricultural land which require urgent attention; restore the agro productive use of the fertile land wherein thousand families used to generate their livelihood. Thanks to the judiciary which had come to preserve and improve the  use of the Bondvoll Lake.

It is a cry of the people of St Cruz and Mercers Chambal to preserve the agricultural use of the vast land and use the existing law or frame the new ones to make the land more productive and control the sluice gate and breach of bunds to prevent saline water intruding into the Kazan land.