Team Herald
MARGAO: Delay caused by the Water Resources Department (WRD) in disbursing the subsidy to maintain wells has resulted in damage to the wells in Salcete taluka.
The applicants have requested the WRD officials to expedite the works so that benefits can be availed at the right time.
According to information, at the moment nearly 10 to 12 applications seeking subsidy to maintain their wells are pending before the concerned section of the department and shortage of staff to process is the main reason behind the delay.
It is pertinent to note that after the circular issued by the department, hundreds of citizens had registered their wells before the concerned authority, so that they can avail the subsidy for repair and maintenance of the wells under “Nitall Goem Nitall Baim” Scheme. As per the scheme, a maximum Rs 50,000 are given to the owners to repair and maintain the wells.
However, Christopher Fernandes, a resident of Majorda did not receive the subsidy, despite applying for the same years back, and now he has noticed major cracks to the structure of the well.
“A few years back I had applied for the subsidy, but it was not processed further citing the reason of COVID-19 pandemic. The amount provided under the scheme could have helped me to maintain my well ,” he informed.
He said that cracks have now been developed in the structure of the well and there are fears it may collapse at any point of time.
“Well is very close to my house and hence I fear that major damage not only to the well but also to my house may be caused,” Fernandes feared.
He is expecting WRD to provide respite to him so that no major damage is done to the well during the monsoon.
Mario Rebelo, Executive Engineer of WRD admitted that there are 10 to 12 applications pending to avail the benefit of the subsidy for the maintenance.
“We have cleared many applications before, but due to a crunch of staff, we are unable to process them in recent times. However, after the pandemic we have again started the process and all the pending applications will be cleared within next few days,” he informed.
