THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The Taleigao villagers under the banner Save Our Fields in Taleigao (SOFT) has urged the State government to put a stop to all building constructions in the low-lying fields within the panchayat jurisdiction, as the activity has been adversely affecting farming.
In a letter to Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and sarpanch on Saturday, SOFT alleged that the agricultural land over the years has fallen prey to building lobby.
“In the last couple of years, the conditions have not been very encouraging and some of the farm lands have fallen prey to the pressures of the builders lobby. The panchayat and successive governments have failed to decongest St Inez Creek leading to creation of existential crisis from the Taleigao farmers. However, with all these hurdles, a vast majority of the farmers are still cultivating the low-lying paddy fields,” the 15-page representation copy reads, as it reels out problems faced by the farmers in Taleigao.
The farmers, members of the Taleigao Comunidade as well as members of the clubs like Progressive Farmers Club, Taleigao and other individuals have been working towards preserving the low-lying paddy fields. In a recent incident, the locals tried to stop construction of Panchayat Ghar in the middle of the field, which led to the arrests of more than half a dozen protestors.
In the wake of rising development activities, SOFT has urged the government to halt the building constructions and prepare village development plan as per the constitutional mandate with immediate effect. It has also suggested withdrawal of all permission/licences granted by the local panchayat to the builders for constructions in the low-lying paddy fields.
