DEFEXPO
MAPUSA
Deputy Chief Minister and local MLA Francis D’Souza on Saturday advised the dissenting people of Goa to approach proper forum like the courts to resolve issues.
He condemned the protests against the DefExpo and suggested that if people in South do not want it, to hold it in North Goa.
“Those who have a problem with development or projects should either approach senior officers with their grievances and if not satisfied, they can then knock the doors of the court,” said D’Souza.
He was speaking at a function in Mapusa to inaugurate beautification of Shree Bodgeshwar temple and the Mapusa garden.
He said a group of people in Mapusa wrote to him to stop all ongoing developmental works in Mapusa since it’s an election year.
“These are the same people who contested in the recent municipal polls and lost miserably. They are now dictating terms to the majority who won on the plank of development,” the deputy chief minister said.
He said all over Goa, 4 per cent politically motivated people object to every initiative brought by the government.
“The same thing is happening with the agitation against the defence expo. Let the project take place this year. If it’s not good, don’t hold it next year, but if it is good hold it every year,” the deputy chief minister said. “If the people of South Goa do not want it, hold it in North Goa,” he added.
To those critics who complained of works taking too long to fructify, the deputy chief minister said that ministers too have restrictions and that they have to follow all the rules properly.
“There are fiscal management rules. We can’t do things in a hurry. We ministers too have certain restrictions,” D’Souza said.
He said a lot of developmental and beautification works have been taken up in Mapusa through GSUDA and the Mapusa Municipal Council.
He advised the Mapusa council to raise funds through commercial projects and not by taxing the people.
