Selaulim canal land encroachments in focus

Porvorim: Ruling and opposition legislators heavily criticised the WRD for failing for 40-odd years to safeguard from encroachments the land acquired for Selaulim canals.WRD minister Subhash Shirodkar said the survey of the land, its partition and mutation, and fencing will all be completed by Dec 2026.

He said that where the survey of a patch of the canal land is complete, plantation of bamboo and red sandalwood will start in the next four months.“The land was acquired over 40 years ago. In some places, encroachment has taken place,” said Shirodkar. “After we carry out the survey, all areas with no encroachment will be fenced.”Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar said that defunct canals running through Navelim have become a death trap for cattle, children, and passersby.

“The canal is near a temple,” said Tuenkar. “In Davorlim-Rumdamol, a buffalo fell into the manhole on a box-type open canal, and it took four hours to get it out.”He said, “If a person falls into a canal, no one will know. Farmers have already written to govt seeking their land back if it is not put to use.”Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral said that the WRD does not even have the land acquired for the canals in its name after all these years.

Shirodkar said that many farmers stopped cultivating their land, leaving canal water unutilised. He urged MLAs to help motivate farmers to cultivate the land. He said the WRD will work to bring land under cultivation for the next crop from Nov.“In North Goa, the survey has already started. Marking and fencing will be done for the main canal as well as branch canals,” he said.