Goemkarponn Desk
MARGAO: Struggling Loutolim farmers persisted in their demand that Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Surface Transport, look into a different route for the proposed bridge over the Zuari River, arguing that the high-level new Borim bridge would be the death knell for the traditional khazan fields.
The Union Minister has directed the PWD engineers to visit the site on Friday for an inspection along with the impacted farmers to look into the possibility of coming up with an alternative, so the focus is now back on the khazan fields.
Farmers’ delegation met with the Union Minister, and senior PWD officials were present, along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, who represents the Nuvem constituency.
The Union Minister was advised by Alberto Pinheiro, the Chairman of the Loutolim Tenants Association, that the Khazan lands would be destroyed if the bridge were to be bulldozed. The Union Minister was informed unequivocally that the bridge should not cross the Khazan fields. After the meeting, he told, “We insisted that the PWD present an alternative that would save the Khazan fields.”
Pinheiro stated, “We made it clear that any interference will destroy the age-old khazan fields,” in response to the Union Minister’s suggestion during the meeting to narrow the bridge’s width in order to lessen the impact on the khazans.
