-- Samir Umarye BICHOLIM: Kamlakant has four children, a wife, and a mother to feed. He is distraught to know that he now has to spend half of his hard- earned money fighting to save his fields, not from wild animals, but from electricity poles.
This is the story of Kamlakant Shablo Pilayenkar, a 42- year- old farmer from Ambeshi- Pale, Bicholim. Last month, the electricity department erected poles in the middle of his paddy fields to supply electricity to another house. Since then, he is running from pillar to post with just one demand: removal of the electricity poles. “ When there was an issue of giving electricity to a household, I had submitted the objection to the panchayat, who in turn had forwarded it to the electricity department. In spite of all this, we were in for a rude shock when the department erected the poles on April 16,” said Kamlakant. He added, “ We are totally dependent on our fields, and I had asked the department to erect the poles by the side of my property. But, now these poles have been erected right in the middle of the field and I will have problem in cultivating the fields.” After the incident, a puzzled Kamlakant approached the deputy collector. He was in for another rude shock as the deputy collector refused to take his application. Since the last month, he approached many people regarding the issue, but the electricity poles still stand tall. Pale ex- sarpanch, Shiva Mulgaonkar, came to his rescue. “ When the deputy collector declined to take his application, he sent it through registered post and got the acknowledgment. He complained to the Bicholim police and also wrote to the electricity department, but nothing fruitful has come out,” Mulgaonkar told Herald. Kamlakant also went to the local MLA, only to return empty- handed. He also made an application to the electricity department under RTI, but was told that since the property was common and undivided, the department had taken NOC from the ‘ majority’ of the owners. “ His family has worked in these fields since last many years; however, now after the poles, he might not be able to use a tractor to plough the fields. There is also a possibility that during rainy season he might get an electric shock, but no one is bothered about this as he is just a poor farmer,” said Mulgaonkar. He added, “ We strongly feel that political pressure is working in this matter and so no one is giving heed to his pleas. The panchayat is with Kamlakant and has supported him every time when the issue was raised.”
