Though the Comunidade of Kalapur, St Cruz is fighting a legal battle in court to get back the Bondvol lake area, the locals of Kalapur have demanded that the entire property should be acquired by the government of Goa in view of developing it.
Former President of Kalapur Comunidade, John Fernandes informed Herald that the Comunidade is making an attempt to get back the Bondvol property including the lake from one of the tenants who grabbed it years ago.
However, locals claim it is a hidden treasure of the tourism department and is located just five minutes from the capital city. “This lake needs to be saved at any cost. If beautified, it can look even more beautiful than other lakes in Goa. It can be a perfect tourism destination and can depict real life in Goa,” said Arturo D’Souza, a resident of St Cruz who is an active crusader to save this lake.
D’Souza demanded that the government acquire the lake and surrounding area so that the concerned department can initiate work for the beautification and maintenance of the water body.
Jose Fernandes, a local went on record to say that the Bondvol lake, if renovated and beautified can be a prime tourist spot near the capital city, in the same vein as Dona Paula. He also informed that when there is water in the lake, there are various species of birds throughout the year. This would be good news for many, including bird enthusiasts.
According to locals, this lake was built during the Portuguese era in Goa and over 500 locals from St Cruz and the surrounding areas depended on the waters of this lake for agricultural purposes. Since 1968 however, there has been a conflict of interest, and one of the tenants illegally, in connivance with the Kalapur Comunidade grabbed the property under the tenancy right. The said tenant had only one years’ lease documents but he succeeded in acquiring it legally after Comunidade officials didn’t turn up for the hearing at the deputy collector’s office.
Right up till 2012, some of the farmers who were cultivating fields using water from the lake. However, later all this stopped as the tenant in possession of the lake stopped storing water during the monsoons.
Naresh Salgaonkar, a St Cruz resident informed that there is a 16 inch pipe with a valve which was installed during the Portuguese regime which exists in the lake. Unfortunately, this valve is kept open and the water flows out of the lake and into the fields, thus reducing the quantity of water in the lake.
The lake is surrounded by hills on three sides and provides the perfect place for storage of water. Salgaonkar insisted that if the lake is beautified, it will not only help in tourism, but also solve the water issues of the farmers.
Arturo D’Souza is actively involved with movements to save this lake and he has alleged that the government is unwilling to acquire the property as real estate developers who purchased a lot of property in the surrounding areas are pressurizing the government into foregoing the project.
