Team Herald
BICHOLIM: After 18 years, the farmers from Sarmanas in Pilgao-Bicholim finally cultivated their fields.
The fields had remained uncultivated as the bandh had been destroyed.
It is pertinent to note that the fields being close to Sarmanas River used to get flooded during high tide and with no bandh these fields remained flooded.
“After 18 years we have started cultivating the fields here in Sarmanas. The only reason was that the bandh and the sluice gate were totally destroyed,” informed Sakharam Vaigankar, a senior villager.
“We demanded that the government repair the bandh and the sluice gate and surprisingly the government heard our pleas and did all the repairs,” Vaigankar said adding “This year we have cultivated Goa Dhan and Jaya.”
Of the 40 hectares, 32 hectares are under cultivation.
Thanking the ZAO Bicholim for constructing the bandh, Sunil Vaigankar said, “The concerned committee was not doing anything to help us. So we came forward and decided to cultivate the fields”.
Expressing happiness with the cultivation of these fields, the sarpanch said, “The new khazan land committee is good and we hope that the proposals that they send to the departments will get sanctioned so that the farmers will have no problems in future”.
The villagers now say that they will try to cultivate the remaining land next year.
