Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The State government has decided to take full financial responsibility for the repair and strengthening of protective bunds across Goa, ending the 10 per cent contribution that tenant associations were previously required to make.
Under the revised arrangement, the government will meet the entire cost of eligible bund repair and strengthening works. However, the release of funds will depend on the availability of budgetary provisions and approval from the Finance Department for each proposal.
The decision was communicated through a recent notification issued by Under Secretary (Revenue) Vrushika Kauthankar.
The notification states that the government will provide 100 per cent financial assistance for works involving the repair or strengthening of protective bunds. It also makes clear that individual proposals will have to receive prior clearance from the Finance Department, taking into account the State’s financial position and available budget.
The government had earlier increased its share of bund repair costs in June 2021, when an ordinance amended the Goa, Daman and Diu Agriculture Tenancy Act, 1964. Its contribution was raised from 50 per cent to 90 per cent, leaving tenant associations responsible for the remaining 10 per cent.
Before that change, repair expenses were divided equally between the government and tenant associations under a 50:50 arrangement. The financial burden on tenant associations had been cited as one of the difficulties in carrying out essential repair works.
Protective bunds form an important part of Goa’s traditional agricultural system. They are particularly vital in low-lying areas bordering rivers and the sea, where they act as barriers against the intrusion of saline water into agricultural fields.
The structures are especially significant in khazan lands, where bunds and sluice gates work together to manage tidal flows and protect cultivated areas from seawater. Many of these structures have been in place for years and require periodic maintenance, repairs and strengthening.
The Agriculture Department undertakes the maintenance of these protective structures, with the objective of preventing breaches and deterioration that could allow saline water to enter agricultural fields and damage cultivation.
