the goan I network
MARGAO
Will the demand of Madel farmers to return back their fields forcibly acquired by the BJP regime over a decade ago find favour with local Fatorda MLA and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai?
Or, leave alone the return of their agricultural fields, will the coalition government at least change the zone of the acquired land from C2 Commercial back to agriculture and allay fears of the farming community in particular and Madel citizens that the 1.37 lakh sq mtr acquired land will forever remain a green zone amidst the concrete jungle?
Local MLA Vijai Sardesai is not only presiding over the affairs of the powerful Town and Country Planning portfolio, but is also holding additional charge as Minister for Agriculture. As TCP Minister, farmers must be certainly looking at Vijai to change the present zone of the acquired land from C2 commercial back to Agriculture. And, the farmers have already begun insisting that their farming land should be returned back to them for cultivation since the local MLA is now presiding over the Agriculture portfolio.
Inquiries by The Goan has revealed that though Vijai had joined the chorus of opposition against the conversion of the acquired fields for a truck terminus or a bus stand, the acquired fields continued to be notified as C2 commercial zone in the Outline Development Plan for Margao.
In fact, when the ODP was at the last stage of finalisation, the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) had submitted an application to the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) to retain the C2 commercial status of the acquired land when the controversial truck terminus project was already down and out and that the bus stand proposal too did not find favour with the farmers and the local MLA.
However, with the change in guard and the local MLA now the TCP minister and is controlling the affairs of the SGPDA, sources say Vijai has a golden opportunity in hand to change the zone of the acquired fields back to agriculture and ensure that the fields are only utilised for cultivation and not for any public utility project.
The weekend saw the farmers lodging their strong protest against the government's proposed move to set up a cyclone risk mitigation centre at the acquired fields. When the media asked the TCP Minister to shed light on the proposal, he reiterated that the proposed cyclone risk mitigation centre will not come up at the acquired fields. "Farmers from Madel believe that their land was grabbed by the then government without taking them into confidence. Now, they were apprehensive that a cyclone risk mitigating centre will come up at their fields. This centre will not come up there. I have spoken to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and I was told that the file was processed before the formation of the coalition government," Vijai said.
He, however, offered a suggestion that the land can be used to set up an integrated agriculture complex, saying that the project will be discussed with the farming community.
