Nirgosh Gaude
Ponda: Even as major roads in the state are rapidly being expanded to four and six lanes, a small Dhangar settlement located at a distance of less than four kilometres from the Ponda town remains stuck in a bygone era, desperately pleading for a basic road.
Approximately 60 members from seven Dhangar community families, who have lived in Gawaliwada, Kavlem village, for over 100 years, are struggling for road connectivity despite having power and water access.
Their century-old settlement perched on a hilltop plateau forces the residents to walk a strenuous, kilometre-long distance over steep, uneven terrain for their daily needs.
Path is a major hurdle for these families in their fast-paced lives. They are forced to carry their children on their shoulders to school and transport the sick on makeshift stretchers or carpets, as even two-wheelers are unable to navigate the path. “We still live in the old age era,” a local resident said, highlighting the severity of their isolation.
The Dhangar community had originally settled on the hill before Goa’s liberation to rear cattle and practise subsistence farming, minimising the need to travel. However, with the new generation working in cities and life becoming increasingly market-dependent, the need for a proper road has become critical. They now rely on travel to sell milk and their produce and to acquire essential items like cattle feed.
The lack of road access poses a grave risk, especially for the expectant mothers. Villager Gangabai Dohifode said, “When our women get pregnant, we leave them at the in-laws’ or relatives’ place some months before the delivery, as living here in the remote village becomes risky.”
Dohifode said while the families are not financially secure to move to a roadside area, relocating would also mean giving up their cattle and agricultural livelihood.
Road connectivity has been a long-standing demand, with villagers saying that the authorities – from the local panchayat to the MLA – have failed to deliver for over a decade.
While former sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar successfully helped the Gawaliwada homes to get electricity and water connections in 2006, road has remained an unfulfilled promise. The residents recounted how one local panchayat member, elected on the promise of road, eventually abandoned the village herself to settle in a city.
Speaking on the issue, former sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar said the primary obstacle is a dispute over land ownership. “To construct a proper road, the authorities require No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from two to three different private landowners whose properties lie in the path of the proposed route,” he said.
Kavlekar also pointed to another complication, which is the sale of ancestral land at cheap rates. He said the mid-area landowners are now objecting to the road, fearing that providing access will allow the new plot owners to develop their land and convert the area into a “concrete jungle”.
Kavlekar said the local panchayat, with the help of the area MLA Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, had attempted to settle the matter some years ago, but the negotiations ultimately failed.
The families of Gawaliwada are now appealing directly to the government on humanitarian grounds to resolve the complex land issues and provide them with a basic road access that has eluded them for generations.
