Canacona tribal villagers upbeat after MLA gets forest chairmanship

CANACONA:  Tribal villagers who reside in the hamlets in and around Canacona whose demand for asphalted roads didn’t find any takers till now are upbeat ever since Canacona MLA and deputy speaker Isidore Fernandes got the chairmanship of the forest department. 

For the outside world these are charming villages located in the middle of forests in Canacona and neighbouring talukas.  However, it feels like a different era in the village due to absence of roads and mobile connectivity.   

The villagers of Thirwal, Nadke, Ponsulemmoll, Avem in Canacona while Vavurla and Cajugotton in Quepem have been demanding motorable roads, while all the other parts of Goa have hot mix carpeted roads. 

These villages have remained without proper roads as the villages are located in deep forests and the access to these villages pass through forest land. Power supply is another major problem. 

It may also be recalled that the voters of Marle-Thirval totaling more than 200 had boycotted the last general election to highlight their plight. 

There are innumerable instances in which critically sick patients and pregnant women from these hamlets being carried on shoulders to be carried to hospitals during medical emergencies. 

The latest incident was the death of one Arjun Gaonkar a resident of Vavurla who unable to get medical attention on time died while being taken to GMC, Bambolim. 

Absence of high schools in the villages has also compunded the situation for school-going children as well as their parents.  Villagers complain that students have to walk for more than an hour over unfriendly terrains and  sometimes through flooded rivulets to reach the school. They further complain that the efforts of the local elected representatives haven’t yielded any results. 

However, they are pinning their hopes on Fernandes to ensure that they get tarred roads in the village besides other amenities. 

Speaking about the demands of the villagers, Fernandes said that the file for the required NOCs from forest department has gone to the Chief Minister. “The Chief Minister has instructed the forest officials to inspect the untarred stretches and I am hopeful that the CM will give his nod as roads are essential for these villages” added Fernandes.