Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Social activist and youth leader Shubham Komarpant has urged the government to expedite the long-pending Krishi Ghar and Watershed Development projects in Canacona, alleging that despite being approved years ago and foundation stones being laid, neither project has made any significant progress on the ground.
Komarpant on Thursday submitted a memorandum to Director of Agriculture Chandrahas Naik Desai, urging the department to take immediate steps to revive and implement the stalled projects in the interest of local farmers and the farming community.
Following the representation, Director of Agriculture Naik Desai reportedly initiated a note to reopen the file and pursue the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) Watershed Development Component 2.0 project, estimated at Rs 10 crore, for the Gaondongrim panchayat area. The earlier project had lapsed due to non-utilisation of funds.
Naik Desai also assured that the matter concerning the proposed Krishi Ghar would be looked into and that efforts would be made to facilitate the project for the benefit of local vendors and farmers at the earliest.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant laid the foundation stone for the Krishi Ghar project on October 30, 2020. Estimated at Rs 3.6 crore, the proposed multi-utility facility was planned to house the Zonal Agricultural Office (ZAO) and provide essential services to the farming community.
The proposed ground-plus-two-storey complex was to come up on a 7,000-square-metre plot at Sheller, opposite the Canacona Community Health Centre (CHC), near Chaudi. However, the project has remained stalled for years due to administrative and tendering hurdles.
Despite assurances in the Goa Legislative Assembly by the Chief Minister that the re-tendering process would be expedited to revive construction, there has been no visible progress at the site so far.
Meanwhile, the Watershed Development Component under PMKSY 2.0 for Gaondongrim has also attracted public scrutiny over transparency, fund allocation and the distribution of materials. Concerns have previously been raised by local panchayat representatives over the handling of material allocations under the scheme.
Activists and residents have continued to demand accountability and the completion of pending watershed and nala-related works, stressing the need for sustainable water-conservation measures, including stream management, check structures and proper piped water distribution.
Komarpant has now called upon the concerned authorities to move beyond assurances and take concrete action to ensure that the long-pending projects are implemented without further delay, stating that farmers and residents of Canacona should not be made to wait indefinitely for development initiatives announced in their name.
