PONDA: Following the distress caused to 450 farmers by bandhara breach at Talpone, Shiroda, now around 500 farmers in Kundaim are in really deep trouble after a breach in several centuries-old riverside bandhara along the Chikalpaine khazan paddy field was detected at multiple places on Tuesday.
They are now in dire need of financial aid from the government. For the past four years, farmers have kept their Khazan land fallow as they didn’t get any financial support from the government to repair the damaged bandharas.
Just like Shiroda farmers, their Kundaim counterparts also get the same reply from the government authorities – non-availability of funds to repair the check dams.
“We feel that the government is deliberately neglecting our issue. While the government insists upon the need to preserve traditional paddy plantation practices, the ground reality is totally different. I request Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik to inspect the site and provide immediate relief,” President, Chikalpaine Farmers Association Vijesh Naik said.
The farmers who have been struggling to repair the bhandara due to scarcity of funds are now faced with another problem. Due to the breaches, saline water is gushing into the paddy fields, threatening to destroy their crops. The entire 32 hectares of land are inundated with saline water. Due to this, the check dams of neighbouring fields have also developed cracks.
“During Cyclone Tauktae last year our bandharas were damaged and the soil conservation official estimated repair cost at around Rs 67 lakh. However, we did not get any government assistance. The farmers repaired the bhandara spending around Rs 55 lakh through the money earned by the Association through sluice gate auction and by taking loans,” he said.
A disillusioned Naik said he was tired of “doing paperwork” for the past four years to secure compensation from Agriculture and its Soil Conservation Department as his efforts have gone in vain.
“Each time the government asks us to repair on our own with the promise that we would be compensated. But nothing has happened and now we are bankrupt. From where the poor farmers will get the money for repairs if they don’t get the promised aid from the government? asked the farmer leader.
Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik and Agriculture Director Nevil Alphonso could not be contacted for their comments.