SURAJ NANDREKAR
suraj@herald-goa.com
Tiswadi mamlatdar’s decision to stay the annual auction of sluice gate (Manos) of five major tenant associations is seen as a major victory for the Khazan Action Committee (KAC), which had been demanding the postponement for quite some time.
Tiswadi mamlatdar stayed auction of five sluice gates of Neura, Mandur, Azossim and Carambolim area on account of damage to sluice gates and bunds as well as deliberate flooding of the khazan fields.
“A memorandum to that effect was submitted to the Revenue Minister, the Collector and the Mamlatdar of Tiswadi. The KAC discussed the issue with the North Goa Collector who directed the Mamlatdar of Tiswadi to inspect the state of bunds and flooding of fields of these areas,” said KAC Convenor Ramarao Wagh.
“Accordingly, the Mamlatdar of Tiswadi inspected the entire khazan area and based on the assessment issued orders to stay the auction of sluice gates of Damda, Ofla-Dhongzo, Kauje, Neura and St Mathews Azossim. Chairman of Tenant Associations of Damda and St Mathews have also requested the mamlatdar to stay the auction. “The bigger tenant associations of Neura, Ofla-Dhingzo and Kauje had notified the auction process despite the flooding of the fields,” Wagh said.
He further said that this decision has been welcomed by the KAC comprising farmers and villagers of the Neura, Azossim-Mandur area and cited it as major step towards ensuring proper maintenance of bunds and to break the collusion of Manxekaar and office-bearers of tenants associations.
“The KAC is also working with the government officials to devise a foolproof mechanism to solve the problems of khazan land and the committee appointed for the purpose has proposed major reforms that are being submitted to government for implementation,” he said.
It may be recalled that the KAC had demanded that all the auctions scheduled in December of the sluice gates of Neura, Mandur, Azossim and Carambolim area be postponed as virtually the entire khazan fields are flooded by saline water which is a deliberate act to raise more money from auction.
He added, “It is heartening to note that due to strict action taken by Revenue Department, Damda fields are slowly drying up but other khazan fields are flooded with saline waters and the main cause is releasing water through sluice gate by gate operators in connivance with tenant association office bearers.”
Azossim Mandur Sarpanch Ajit Bacal, and other villagers and farmers, have also demanded that the auction be postponed in view of the situation in the khazan fields of Damda, Ofla-Dhongzo, Kauje, Neura and St Mathews Azossim.
