Team Herald
PORVORIM: Agriculture Minister Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar informed the House that the State has moved a proposal with the Centre to strengthen and repair 42 bunds. He was replying to a Calling Attention Motion tabled by MLA Sudin Dhavalikar apprehending damage to agricultural fields due to flooding of bunds, improper infrastructure and non-maintenance as well as construction of bund by the government.
“In the last 2 financial years, the government has taken up 17 bunds protecting 1452 ha. During the financial year 2021-22, the department has planned to implement 17 works in various talukas. Govt has also moved the proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India for support funding of Rs 283 cr under the scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana for strengthening and repairs of 42 bunds of 80.74 kms length protecting 4185 Ha. khazan lands,” he said.
Kavlekar added that all the repairs have been put up for approval of the government, on the recommendations and directions from the Mamlatdar of the respective Talukas or on instructions of the govt. Since the year 2003, the govt has implemented 73 projects of maintenance and repairs of the bunds, protecting a length of 70.40 kms defending 5,000 ha of agricultural fields.
The bunds wherever tenants associations are formed have been notified under the relevant Act.
“The repairs to the bunds are now the responsibility of the Tenants Association. The govt contributes 50% of the evaluated cost to carry out such repairs by the tenant association,” he said while adding, “In case the work is large and cannot be implemented through the tenant association, it is taken by the Engineering Division under the Agriculture Dept, who implement the repairs and maintenance of the bunds through various schemes of the government. If the work is technically intercalated and further large in nature, the same is implemented by WRD under the flood control and anti-erosion schemes.”
