SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2024
Team Herald
Assagao: The Siolim-Sodiem village panchayat Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) at a meeting held on Wednesday highlighted some tough measures in order to save the village from further destruction. The BMC has also lambasted various govt departments like WRD, TCP for being party to destruction of village fields and forests and have resolved to petition the NGT against these departments.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the degradation of fields since the last 3 decades due to the Tillari canal, the BMC meeting chaired by Chairperson Peter de Souza solely blamed the WRD for mismanagement and total corruption in Tillari works which have destroyed the rice bowl of their village. The TCP was also not spared and taken to task.
“ We have taken up this issue on several occasions, but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” said the Chairperson.
Members Rocky Fernandes and Pramod Pednekar expressed deep anguish over the fact that haphazard Tillari works have rendered fields useless and today the fields cannot be cultivated and it is because of such callous departments that agriculture is on the decline. The BMC has resolved to drag the WRD to the green tribunal for destruction of fields and for turning a blind eye to constructions basically mega projects in the CADA areas. The BMC members wondered even how the TCP was also approving such projects without verifying the command area of Tillari canal. “Our locals are told not to construct anything within 400 metres of CADA area and how come these builders were getting approval ?” the members opined.
BMC members were quite critical of the manner in which constructions were coming up rampantly even violating certain conditions in catchment areas, over nullahs , over natural water ways thereby throwing a question mark over the safety of people of the village during monsoons and demanded for a joint site inspection along with panchayat, WRD and TCP officials.
All hell broke loose when it was brought to the notice of the members when the traditional Ummavachi Bhai- a medicinal well which was the only source of water for the villagers of Aframent on a hilly terrain was fenced and closed by a builder. The BMC demanded that all sources of water and springs in the village be maintained by the panchayat for the benefit of the villagers and added that they will in no way allow the builders and developers to infringe on the rights of the public.
The BMC has resolved to write to the panchayat to ban fishing along the link road as many anti social elements gather there on the pretext of fishing and resort to eve teasing and throw liquor broken bottles thereby putting at risk the lives of locals.
BMC member Nilesh Morajkar pointed out that the contractor of the link road has left the debris of the old bridge in the fields and has destroyed the fields and made them redundant and therefore the contractor should be directed to clear it at once.
The deteriorating condition of the Pondnir footbridge was highlighted and the members demanded that bridge be repaired before it collapses in the rain.
They also resolved to write to the Mapusa police to seek action against landlords housing migrants illegally. “ Men in drunken stupor destroy the peace and tranquility of the night and they fight among themselves and then land on the road especially in Pilimbi which has the maximum senior citizens. It’s difficult to step out in the night with such hoodlums around. These owners have put tin sheds and rent them out to faceless men for the sake of money. There are no toilets around either,” said Rocky and demanded that the owners should be penalised.
De Sousa also proposed that fish farming, agriculture, animal husbandry, coconut plantation be promoted in the village among youth so as to create self employment opportunities.
The BMC minced no words and lashed out at the Forest Department for distributing trees at the end of monsoons and it was felt that if the forest department was serious it should distribute important and medicinal trees at the onset of monsoons. The panel resolved to oppose sale of agricultural and forest land to outsiders.
The members felt that schools and colleges must also be convinced that agriculture and forest science must be introduced as an important subject.
The members stood their ground against mega projects mushrooming in the village when there was no adequate infrastructure and demanded that panchayat should take the BMC into confidence to discuss important issues affecting the village and moreover when approval is required to be given to monstrous structures.
The BMC members went hammer and tongs for destruction of the village fabric and felt that no department was committed in maintaining greenery and serenity of villages. They felt that it was high time that such committees now rise and ensure that fabric of villages are maintained. Sarpanch Deepa Pednekar, Dy Sarpanch Nilesh Vaigankar and Secretary Navanya Goltekar were also present on the occasion.
