PANAJI
Aam Aadmi Party has castigated the government for demolishing the kiosks outside GMC in Bambolim.
AAP leaders Valmiki Naik, Cecille Rodrigues, Vighnesh Apte, Dr Vibhas Prabhudesai and Ritesh Shenai rushed to the chaotic scene where the demolition reportedly started in the dark hours around 4 am.
Naik questioned the necessity for carrying out this action suddenly and that too under the cover of darkness.
“There had been assurances given by the local MLAs just two days ago that nothing would be demolished until there was a rehabilitation plan. So who decided to remove the stalls in the dead of the night? Why did the government cheat the people under the cover of darkness? This government itself was formed illegitimately in the middle of the night, and like robbers, they carry out such operations in the middle of the night too,” Naik alleged.
Rodrigues slammed CM Pramod Sawant for destroying the livelihoods of the locals who had already suffered huge economic distress due to the pandemic over the past year.
“Most of the women working here are from ST and OBC communities. They have been operating small kiosks like this for decades, and for most, these stalls were the sole source of income. This is a shocking act by the government which claims to be of the Bahujan samaj, but finds every opportunity to deprive them of even a basic honest living,” Rodrigues said, speaking alongside some of the vendors who were in tears.
Apte said that everyone knows why all the facilities in GMC from pharmacy to canteen to oxygen to supplies have all been given to vendors favoured by the Health Minister without any process.
