CALANGUTE: The unprecedented downpour which lashed the State for almost over a month has dampened the spirits of the farmers in Sangolda and Guirim whose fields have been inundated and their crops destroyed.
The Zonal Agricultural Office (ZAO) at Mapusa too is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to the farmers in distress in the entire Bardez taluka.
Employees here are on their toes and deputed on field duty by the ZAO Sampatti Dargalkar and asked to reach out to the farmer in distress by filling compensation forms at every panchyat level.
Small farmers from Sangolda-Guirim have pleaded with the government to compensate them for the crop loss which is their only source of income.
“I replanted my fields twice. I basically do it on a lease basis and three acres of my crop (Jyoti variety) has been completely damaged and my investment of Rs 50,000 has been drowned by the rains. Since I’m lease holder, I will not get a penny, besides I have to pay the owner,” lamented Akshay Purke, a young and dynamic farmer from Sangolda.
“With the rains, the fields have filled with water and the crop is completely spoilt and rotting. After we had first sowed the fields, the crop got spoilt. I have done it thrice but met with the same fate. I hope the government compensates on time,” said another farmer, Sitaram-bhau.
“The leaders give big talk about sowing the fields and reviving agriculture, but nobody has come to see what has happened,” he fumed.
Another farmer, Lucy, “We had to sow the fields again and again. Whatever we planted has been damaged on and again. None of us in Sangolda get anything free, whereas in other villages farmers get free seedlings and fertilisers. The cost of everything has gone up,” she said.
“The downpour has been bad but the National Highway and other monstrous projects constructed all along the road in Sangolda and Guirim have blocked all waterways. My investment in about 10 acres has gone down the drain. I sowed on two occasions to see my dreams drown. Never seen this type of disaster,” said Sabina de Souza another farmer.
Yashyeshri and Rohidas Mandrekar both septuagenarians say that their efforts, money and time was drowned with the rains as three acres of their land was submerged underwater.
“I had to spend seven days to ward of pigeons and peacocks to take care of my fields from dawn to dusk only to see it rot today,” said Jayanti Kerkar from Sangolda.
Another villager blamed the panchayat for not cleaning the drains, nullahs on time besides ignoring filling of low lying land and abetting constructions.
Mapusa ZAO Sampatti Dargarlkar said that they received 700 applications till date and processed 400 in a day itself. “I have deputed staff to every village and we have covered Aldona, Pombourpa, Corjuvem, Panarim, Moira, Nachinola, Ecoxim, Thivim, Socorro, Sangolda, Guirim, Nerul, Verem, Pilerne, Candolim, Calangute, Parra, Siolim, Oxel, Camurlim besides other villages in Bardez. While some staff are on field duty, the others accept the forms in the office and process them online. We understand the pain of the farmer and are offering doorstep service to them by filling forms in the villages too,” said Dhargalkar.
