Road, electricity works destroying Guirim fields: Comunidade

Calangute: The Guirim Comunidade has accused the government of destroying paddy fields in the village under the pretext of rehabilitation linked to road expansion and electricity transmission works.

Tulio De Souza, president of the Guirim comunidade, told reporters that the Electricity Department was laying a transmission line from Thivim to Calangute based on the comunidade’s NOC, but added, “We observed that mudfilling has been carried out in the paddy fields resulting in flooding and inconvenience to farmers.” He said they had written to the department seeking clarification and urging completion of the work at the earliest.

According to De Souza, the department replied stating that the mud had been dumped temporarily in the fields to enable movement of equipment and machinery and would be removed upon completion of the works. It also claimed that the Water Resources Department (WRD), which was simultaneously dredging the nearby river, might be responsible for the flooding, he said.

“The Water Resources Department is carrying out the dredging works in a haphazard manner without our NOC, compounding the flooding problem,” De Souza said. He added that the comunidade had written to the WRD seeking clarification, but was yet to receive a response. “If they have any plans like Sagarmala, etc., then we will oppose it and stop the works. The farmers of Guirim are the ultimate sufferers and we may even approach the court of law,” he said.

He also alleged that paddy fields in another part of the village were being filled for what was claimed to be rehabilitation linked to road expansion, without consulting the comunidade. “How can agricultural land be used for housing projects, etc.? We request the government of Goa to reconsider the decision of rehabilitating people in the paddy fields of Guirim,” he said.