The Goan Network
Panaji
Taking to the Aam Aadmi Party platform to voice their grievance against the approval granted to the ODP of their villages of Candolim and Calangute, Anthony D’Souza, Damien Telles and Augustino Costa vehemently opposed the Outline Development Plan (ODP) that was given a nod by Town and Country planning Minister Vijai Sardesai.
Addressing media persons, Telles said that he had earlier petitioned the High Court to oppose the ODP.
However, the same was approved by Sardessai.
Telles and the others castigated Sardesai for betraying the interest of the
locals and allowing large-scale destruction of their villages.
“Our minister is falling prey to the lure of big money shown by capitalists who have no concern for the locals,” he said.
Telles said that they would not give up their fight against such treacherous acts and would see that peoples’ power would have
the final say in what happens in Goa.
Telles also said that ODPs and Planning and Development Authorities (PDAs) were not welcome in their villages as these were ruining the environment.
AAP Convenor Elvis Gomes backed Telles saying, “The approval of the Candolim-Calangute ODP is just another
land scam in a long list of scams that the government is party to.”
‘Only MLAs, kin get money for sports’
VASCO: The Vasco branch of AAP on Thursday alleged that taxpayer’s money was being looted in the name of sports promotion by selectively pouring it on either MLAs or their kin, thereby depriving a large number of sports persons of benefits.
Questioning the distribution of largesse on select persons, AAP leader Loretta D’souza, a former India hockey international athlete, said the government needed to state under what policy such distribution of crores of rupees was being made to a select few. “In the recent past, amounts ranging between Rs 1-3 crore have been given as grants to individuals in mountaineering, football and chess.”
“Is it not discriminatory and disrespectful to the rest of the sportspersons?” said D’Souza calling on sportspersons, coaches, officials to come forward and join her in challenging the policies of the government, which she said, is only working for the welfare of a few connected persons, leaving others to watch as bystanders.
