Trouble times have not erased the creases on the minds of over 1490 villagers of 725 households in four Village Panchayats of Patiye, Sargave & Ainodem, Pal & Kendrem, and Shirange, of Bedshi Zilla Panchayat District Sindhudurga Maharashtra. ever since the Tillari Irrigation Project estimated to cost above 952 crores of which 670 crores ought to be borne by Goa and the rest Maharashtra ,was conceptualised in 1977 during the erstwhile Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party followed by the Congress and now the BJP led coalition government in power.
What was initially meant to usher a green revolution in the villages of Ibrampur, Colvale and other regions or Bardez and Bicholim Talukas is now posing a uncertainty and fund constraints. First the cost overruns and no one can deny it was a milking cow for for the Irrigation Department and now the renamed Water Resources Department both of the Goa & Maharashtra governments and now whether with the concretisation era in Goa where non remunerative farmland is being usurped for rapid urbannisation leaving farmers to abandon their tradition and seek other employments in the organised sector.
But " what are we to do if the Government is uncertain and cries for funds? according to senior villagers who hesitated to identify their names . "look" said another in Marathised Konkani accent this being a border village though they share commonalitiy in folklore and religious deities that preside over the regions in the footholds of Sahayadri ranges of the then Sattari region, now forming part of Goa & Maharashtra, "we have been served notices to shift to Zarimbor, Khaniyali, Sasolim. in Maharashtra and Sal in Bicholim Taluka in Goa as a rehabilitation package but with land provided for housing we have not been provided water and tanker water is expensive" Yet another lamented that the distance is about 22 kms and they have to carry the timber tiles and other accessories but the border checkposts have been an obstacles and their vehicles detained"
Not satisfied with this others expressed in unison " we are determined not to allow the project to recommence." said Rajaram who shied to disclose his details .It is expected so on 17th November, 2002 when officials of both sides will be converging at the dam site for talks with the villagers and the elected representatives who are strongly one with the villagers. "Our boys are not educated as higher schools are not in the proximity the only school teaches upto VII and the villages have no power supply no pipeline water supply TV is unheard of and the villagers most eke out aliving on cultivation of rice millets. Being away from the seat of power in Maharashtra these villages are neglected and the local MP the erstwhile Union Power Minister has done petty little to afford lighting to these villagers.
The villagers therefore unanimously demand' " give us land for cultivation and we are willing to shift " but this is the crux of the problem and they are adamant not to shift. In July 2002 they were spare the vagaries of monsoons. Continuous rain breached the part of the dam construction and the Patiye village would have been submerged fortunately the rains stopped or else the only post office in an old dilapidated structure and the school would be submerged. Yet another tragedy had befallen these villagers two years ago when elephants believed to have run amock from Dandeli to Sattari entered their villages and ruined their crops forcing them to run helter skelter.
A brief intrusion into the wooded path of the region brought important revelations. Three temples,Gajalaximi temple, Brahmani temple and Mahishasuramrindini temple with motifs of the Kadamba era and some excellent carvings thereon discovered by Verodiana Award Winner 2001 and environmentalist and nare foot researcher familiar with folklore in entire Goa also a lecturer and Mahadei river activist Rajendra Kerkar of Keri Sattari will be submerged if the Dept of Archaeology and Museums or Archaelogical Survey of India does not step in to relocate these temples, now visited by the locals all year round.
The villagers are caught between the devil and the deep sea while for all practical purposes administratively and geographical conmtiguity wise they are closer to Goa government, those who matter on the Mharashtra side are miles away.
One feature of the villagers which caught the imagination of the investigating team constituting Rajendra Kerkar and journalist Paul Fernandes and nature lover free lance writer Godfrey J. I. Gonsalves all of Goa were that they were cheerful even in thier primitive lifestyles and had a gleam of joy when told that the national and international awareness would be created to uphold their just and genuine demand for better compensation by providing adequate farmland with irrigation facilities so that the kith and kin would continue the voacations. Will the Governments of Goa and Maharashtra awake to the ground realities soon?
The photographs attached give an insight into the ground realities.
godfrey j.i. gonsalves
B-F-4 Hillside Apartments
Borda Margao Goa
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