Massorde youth breathe new life into village spring

Massorde youth have given a facelift to the spring in their village, which had once lacked basic infrastructure, like changing rooms. Members of the Shantadurga Yuva Manch and others contributed a lot for the development of the spring in an eco-friendly manner.

Massorde is a small hamlet just one kilometre away from Valpoi town, in the jurisdiction of the Valpoi Municipal Council. The village has around 100 houses and a population of around 700, besides the Shantadurga Ravalnath Mahadev Temple.

The spring has brought the village fame. As per environmentalists, the spring water has medicinal properties, which is useful for curing skin diseases.

Over the last few years, the number of people visiting the spring has been increasing. However, as the spring is located half a kilometer away from the village, it has missed out on development. There was no basic infrastructure in place for the people visiting the spring, such as changing rooms for men as well as women.

However, the Shantadurga Yuva Manch and others have given a facelift to the area by fulfilling all the requirements for the people visiting the spring.

In a special drive conducted by SYM, separate changing rooms for women and men have been constructed in an eco-friendly manner. The bathing area has also been concretized for the benefit of people visiting the spring. 

“Now people will really enjoy bathing in this spring, said SYM president Krishna Gaonkar, adding, “It is really thanks to the efforts of our village youth to conserve this spring for the future.”

“This spring has medicinal properties, and every year, during the months of January to May, the number of people visiting the spring is increasing. We are proud of the same,” said SYM treasurer Gauresh Gawas, adding, “The association has spent a bit to get these basic requirements created.”

SYM secretary Santosh Gawas was upset that the authorities had turned a blind eye to the spring for the last many years. “People were repeatedly demanding a facelift for this village, but nothing came out positive,” he said.

The renovated spring was inaugurated by eminent personalities, including environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar. 

Kerkar appreciated the work done by the youth of Massorde and urged the youth of other villages to follow suit. He said, “The government should identify such heritage areas and be serious about conserving the same. Such type of work should be carried out by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, but unfortunately, the government is not doing anything.”