CHANDOR: Following a vociferous demand by the villagers, Ajay Kudchadkar, Assistant Engineer, Water Resources Department telephonically agreed to depute a relevant engineer to discuss the problem faced by Chandor-Cavorim farmers with supply of water through the Paroda Canal.
Following Sarpanch Estefanio Dias’ request, Junior Engineer Gauravi Sawant was deputed by WRD to educate the people about the schemes and responsibilities of the department at the special gram sabha scheduled today.
She explained some of the schemes like rain water harvesting, minor irrigation projects, cleaning and construction of wells, development of lakes and springs etc.
After listening to her, when the villagers began complaining about water supply through the Paroda canal, the engineer said major irrigation was handled by a different division and she could do nothing about it.
Incensed, the villagers pointed out that they actually needed an engineer who deals with major irrigation since the village comes under Command Area of Paroda Canal.
“This is a tamasha enacted by the department just to fool the people by deputing an engineer who would not be able to address our problems,” said one villager.
The Sarpanch lamented that repeated attempts to ask the concerned engineer to meet the villagers have failed. However, when he disclosed that the engineer claims there is no water supplied because people are not cultivating, the gathered villagers erupted in anger.
“People are not cultivating because there is no sufficient supply of water for paddy cultivation,” said Tiago da Silva and former Deputy Sarpanch Marcelo Fernandes giving specific areas where water is not available.
“Since 2012 when I was the deputy Sarpanch, the department has been issuing tenders every year for repairs of the canal. We need to know where this money is spent as people are not getting water,” said Marcelo.
Gauravi was then asked to speak to the Assistant Engineer over the phone and a villager explained that they needed an engineer who would attend to their woes over water supply through Paroda canal. The AE agreed to depute an engineer in the near future to attend to the villagers’ problems.
The villagers then listed out the specific problems they have and asked Gauravi to present them to her seniors so that the engineer deputed to visit the village is equipped to answer the queries.
Some of the problems listed by the villagers were delay in releasing water in the canal, not cleaning the irrigation wells which are blocked with stones and muck gathering in them, not repairing the damaged secondary and tertiary distribution canals.
The gram sabha then resolved that the Sarpanch write to WRD Assistant Engineer expressing people’s sentiments and convening another special gram sabha where the relevant engineer is deputed.
