CONDUCTING AUCTION OF SLUICE GATE
CONDUCTING AUCTION OF SLUICE GATE
PONDA: Chikhalpaine Khajan Tenant Association in Cundaim expressed strong opposition on Sunday to the attempt by an official from the Ponda Mamlatdar office to auction the sluice gate at Cundaim.
The association presented a resolution from farmers dated December 15, which stated that no auction would be permitted until their issues were addressed.
The farmers articulated that for the past five years, they have been unable to cultivate their Khajan and other fields due to their paddy fields being inundated with water, a consequence of breaches in the Bandharas and a malfunctioning sluice gate that allows water to flood their land. They emphasized that the auction of the sluice gate would not be allowed until the Bandhara and sluice gate are repaired to prevent saline water from affecting their fields.
Farmer Umesh Naik noted that the government had invested approximately Rs 2.5 crore in the reconstruction of a one-kilometer-long Bandhara intended to safeguard the fields. The farmers had anticipated being able to cultivate their paddy fields; however, their hopes were dashed as the Bandhara, constructed by a contractor, is leaking due to inadequate oversight of the work performed.
He criticized the contractor’s work as substandard, resulting in water intrusion into the fields. Additionally, the sluice gate is in a state of disrepair, further hindering the farmers’ ability to cultivate paddy and impacting their livelihoods. Vijesh Naik, president of the Chikhalpaine Khajan Tenant Association in Cundaim, reported that the Chikhalpaine Khajan fields have been submerged for approximately 150 meters due to leaks in the newly constructed Bandhara, allowing saline water to infiltrate the fields. The internal canals are also clogged with mud, exacerbating flooding in the area. With saline water entering through the broken sluice gate, the fields remain underwater. For five years, 250 farmers have been unable to cultivate their land. He reiterated that no auction of the sluice gate would be permitted until the Bandhara and sluice gate are repaired.