CANACONA
Stating that over 100 lakes would be developed and beautified in the State by 2023, WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar said people need to think beyond water, electricity and potholed roads and should also focus on agriculture, education and health.
Shirodkar was speaking at the inauguration of a developed and beautified Maidatale, a lake which was renamed as ‘Sadanand Sarovar’, in honour of a freedom fighter late Sadanand Naikgaunkar from Nagarcem ward of Canacona municipality.
WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar inaugurated the beautified lake at a cost of Rs 43 lakh at Nagorcem in the presence of Speaker and Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar and CMC Chairperson Ramakant Naikgaunkar.
“Fifty-five lakes in the North and an equal number in the South will be developed and we plan to beautify 100 of them by 2023.”
“If we talk first, second, third and fourth days of water, electricity and pothole roads, on the fifth day, we should speak about agriculture and its issues. Then, on the sixth and seventh days, we should talk about education and health respectivelys,” said Shirodkar, while highlighting the importance of irrigation/agriculture, education and health to be self-reliant (Atmanirbhar).
“On Thursday, I inspected about 8 lakes in the South of Quepem and North of Canacona, which will also be taken for development, I expect to return by November to inaugurate at least four other lakes which will be developed and beautified in Canacona,” Shirodkar said.
Shirodkar directed WRD Engineers to prepare another estimate to provide a fountain/sprinkler, lawn, benches, and breed fish in the lake, which has been named after freedom fighter late Sadanand Naikgaunkar, father of the Ward Councillor Hemant Kumar Naikgaunkar.
Tawadkar blamed the PWD (Water supply) for not putting the Gaunem dam, which was completed in 2017, to public use.
“With two dams in Canacona, the taluka is capable of providing 24x7 water supply to its residents and Canacona can still think of a third dam at Karvem (Gaondongrim), which can even provide supply outside the Taluka."
He also spoke about developing Talpona and Galgibaga rivers and other springs in different parts of Canacona taluka.
Others who spoke on the occasion included CMC Chairperson Ramakant Naikgaunkar, WRD Chief Executive Engineer Pramod Badani, CMC Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar, CMC Dy Chairperson Laxuman Pagui and CMC Councillor Simon Rebello.
