The villages of Assolna Velim Cuncolim are known for its patriotism and Velim amongst the three has a huge history of producing some of Goa’s finest freedom fighters. But sadly the land they fought for has a small dwindling population as people have left Velim for the cities of Margao and Panjim.
“Velim along with its neighbouring villages of Assolna and Cuncolim (AVC) do not just have a huge significance in Goa, but also internationally. AVC has the largest Goan diaspora clubs across Dubai, Kuwait, London, Canada, California and Saudi Arabia. The people of Velim have never forgotten their roots,” stated member secretary of Goa State Pollution Control Board Member Secretary, Lavinson Martins.
Martins points out that Velim has produced two Olympians in Veece and Leander Paes who were brought up in the tiny quite village of Velim. But slowly, as educational facilities, infrastructure and supply of water and electricity did not improved in the village, people began to move out to the cities for better opportunities.
“People moved out of Velim for better opportunities, more for their children in terms of education while a few migrated. But in Velim, people are not of the kind that sold off their land. People in Velim still come back on the weekends and have renovated their old Portuguese homes,” asserted Francis Braz, a Velim based entrepreneur who now lives in Margao.
Similarly Simon Barreto, who moved from Velim to Margao to begin a cold storage unit almost two decades back points that Velim was a quite dead village with no entertainment and social events for the women folk especially, a reason why people left their land.
“I blame the people then. Everybody was so laid back after liberation. I remember in my two stints as Sarpanch, there would be just twelve people at a gram sabha meeting in the 1985-1990. There were electricity and water problems, so people chose the easy way out and left the village,” points out noted lawyer Savio Caeiro.
Advocate Caeiro points out that Velim is very significant considering its proximity to Cabo de Rama, which was once a major port and Betul that has its importance because of the fishing jetty. But the infrastructure, transport facility and lack of educational institutions left Velim behind despite having learned individuals like Ferdinand Rebello, Mario Vaz, Roque Satan, Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Farrel Furtado as past MLAs.
The newly elected MLA, Benjamin D’Silva, pointed out that Velim’s biggest problem has been the erratic water supply, bad supply of electricity and BSNL’s poor connectivity, topped by no job opportunities as a large population of Velim depends on agriculture.
“I have now got two junior engineers dedicated to Velim only to improve electrical supply, besides drawing a road map with the PWD and water supply officials. Also, I have invited the tourism department to come and look at how Velim’s Portuguese architecture homes can be tapped for tourism since our nearness to to Cabo de Rama, Betul and Cutbona jetty. Velim’s past MLAs have not bothered to improve infrastructure in the village,” asserted Benjamin.
“The biggest significance of nationalism in Velim comes from its Carnival celebration where the National Flag is hoisted and a traditional lamp is lite (maide) on the mand (stage) and Velim alone across Goa keeps this tradition alive in the midst of all three days of the Carnival celebration which is very patriotic,” stated Martins.
In the midst of migration and peole leaving Velim, Pilot Costa, a velim resident remembers the great debates by Ferdinand Rebello, Mario Vaz, Roque Satan and other great legislators who brought about great laws for the state when they represented the Assembly. He only rues the fact that it was only in the 1990’s that Velim was delimited into a separate constituency from Cuncolim which have been done much earlier.
Reproduced from: http://www.thegoan.net/Goa/
“Velim along with its neighbouring villages of Assolna and Cuncolim (AVC) do not just have a huge significance in Goa, but also internationally. AVC has the largest Goan diaspora clubs across Dubai, Kuwait, London, Canada, California and Saudi Arabia. The people of Velim have never forgotten their roots,” stated member secretary of Goa State Pollution Control Board Member Secretary, Lavinson Martins.
Martins points out that Velim has produced two Olympians in Veece and Leander Paes who were brought up in the tiny quite village of Velim. But slowly, as educational facilities, infrastructure and supply of water and electricity did not improved in the village, people began to move out to the cities for better opportunities.
“People moved out of Velim for better opportunities, more for their children in terms of education while a few migrated. But in Velim, people are not of the kind that sold off their land. People in Velim still come back on the weekends and have renovated their old Portuguese homes,” asserted Francis Braz, a Velim based entrepreneur who now lives in Margao.
Similarly Simon Barreto, who moved from Velim to Margao to begin a cold storage unit almost two decades back points that Velim was a quite dead village with no entertainment and social events for the women folk especially, a reason why people left their land.
“I blame the people then. Everybody was so laid back after liberation. I remember in my two stints as Sarpanch, there would be just twelve people at a gram sabha meeting in the 1985-1990. There were electricity and water problems, so people chose the easy way out and left the village,” points out noted lawyer Savio Caeiro.
Advocate Caeiro points out that Velim is very significant considering its proximity to Cabo de Rama, which was once a major port and Betul that has its importance because of the fishing jetty. But the infrastructure, transport facility and lack of educational institutions left Velim behind despite having learned individuals like Ferdinand Rebello, Mario Vaz, Roque Satan, Filipe Neri Rodrigues and Farrel Furtado as past MLAs.
The newly elected MLA, Benjamin D’Silva, pointed out that Velim’s biggest problem has been the erratic water supply, bad supply of electricity and BSNL’s poor connectivity, topped by no job opportunities as a large population of Velim depends on agriculture.
“I have now got two junior engineers dedicated to Velim only to improve electrical supply, besides drawing a road map with the PWD and water supply officials. Also, I have invited the tourism department to come and look at how Velim’s Portuguese architecture homes can be tapped for tourism since our nearness to to Cabo de Rama, Betul and Cutbona jetty. Velim’s past MLAs have not bothered to improve infrastructure in the village,” asserted Benjamin.
“The biggest significance of nationalism in Velim comes from its Carnival celebration where the National Flag is hoisted and a traditional lamp is lite (maide) on the mand (stage) and Velim alone across Goa keeps this tradition alive in the midst of all three days of the Carnival celebration which is very patriotic,” stated Martins.
In the midst of migration and peole leaving Velim, Pilot Costa, a velim resident remembers the great debates by Ferdinand Rebello, Mario Vaz, Roque Satan and other great legislators who brought about great laws for the state when they represented the Assembly. He only rues the fact that it was only in the 1990’s that Velim was delimited into a separate constituency from Cuncolim which have been done much earlier.
Reproduced from: http://www.thegoan.net/Goa/
