by Rupesh Samant

Tillari Dam Site (Goa-Maharashtra border), May 19: Goa's dream to irrigate its paddy dominated largely under cultivated stretches of lands in tourism hit north Goa will be fulfilled in mid-2009 with inter-state Tillari dam project taking final shape.

The dam will be ready by June 2009 and subsequently the water would be released in the canals which will reach upto Calangute, a coastal belt known for its tourism. Officials state that it will touch lives of three lac farming population in the 14 lac populated state.

The officials expect that the dam, envisaged two decades back and dragging its feet due to financial constraints, will give impetus to Goa's third largest economic activity – agriculture. Farming, which was the biggest industry in this erstwhile Portuguese colony, as recently as the 60's, has lost its position to mining and tourism industry.

Tillari dam, built on Tillari river on Goa-Maharashtra border, was smitten with inordinate delays fairly due to misunderstanding between both the state governments, which had entered into a memorandum of understanding in 1990.  Since then the cost escalation has gripped this project in Sahyadri hills from mere Rs 45 crore in 1990 to whopping Rs 1,390 crore as per revised 2007 estimates.

But the project despite its financial liabilities is being looked upon as the propeller for agricultural growth in the tourist state which is increasingly losing its land to construction industry. 

"We have already demanded that the command area falling under this project be declared as non-conversion zones so that the farming activity can go on unabated," S Paramsivan, managing director, Tillari Irrigation Development Corporation (TIDC).

Of the 16,978 hactar area in Goa which will be irrigated with the project, 50 per cent has paddy cultivation, five per cent sugar cane and rest with pulses and garden crops, Paramsivan said.

The project officials, talking to the reporters at Konalkatta dam site, said that Goa and Maharashtra governments have shared expenditure and benefits on the project by 75:25 basis. Goa has a larger share compared to its big brother neighbour.

Interestingly, the project will also add up to the drinking water resources of the state as water is fed to Goa's two main projects – Assnora and Chandel water supply reservoirs.

The project is built across river Tillari, a west-flowing river rising in Sahyadri Mountain near Tudi village in Chandgadh taluk of Kolhapur district, which drops down the Sahyadri hills near village kendre in Sawantwadi taluk of Sindhudurg district.

The records available mention that after flowing about 65 km it crosses Maharashtra state near Maneri village and then runs into Goa for remaining length of around 30 km. 

"There is a power generation plant set up on the project which will be run on built-own operate and transfer basis," project's executive engineer S M Chavan stated.

Pune-based Mahalaxmi Vidyut Pvt Ltd has been awarded the contract which will generate 10 mw of hydro power, which will be sold to Maharashtra government. Goa will get a share upto 75 per cent in the power supply.

This dam running across Goa-Mumbai highway has Konkan railway passing through the command area of the project. "Proximity of railways will be of immense benefit for the farmers as they will have direct access to the train to transport the products," an official stated.