MAPUSA
Launching a scathing attack against those opposing the three linear projects in the State, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said it was ex-chief minister Digambar Kamat and the Congress government that allowed the increase of coal handling in the State.
“I have a paper which shows that former chief minister Digambar Kamat gave permission to increase coal handling by 5.0 million tonnes at the MPT on March 2, 2012 and when the code of conduct was on in the State. Coal was not brought by us. It was brought by the Congress and it is they who have put Goa in the dock,” Sawant said.
“Whatever projects we are bringing is for development of the State and not for coal,” he added.
The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration of the new Parra Panchayat Ghar at a cost of around Rs 2 crore.
Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho, Ports Minister Michael Lobo, Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, Parra Sarpanch Delilah Lobo and other dignitaries were also present.
Continuing, Sawant said the Congress and others had a narrow vision about MPT and saw it as only handling coal but in the next six months plans will be unveiled how MPT will be used for tourism purpose.
He said some elements could not digest the development undertaken by the government and that is there was an attempt to divide the people of the State.
“There is an attempt to divide people on religious and caste basis. There is an attempt to bring obstruction in the development undertaken by this government,” he said.
He said after the Bihar election results people have realised that the Modi wave was still there and it will be there in Goa too in the 2022 assembly elections.
Off late, the government has been facing a series of protests from the civil society and the opposition parties against three major infrastructure projects in the State.
The chief minister further said the government was working for all sections of the society, irrespective of caste and creed.
“This government is for development. This is the people’s government. We are working for the last person in the society,” he said.
He also blamed the previous governments for the garbage problem in the State.
The previous governments had created mounds of garbage at several places. We have started cleaning since 2014. We have spent crores of rupees to treat garbage in Goa which was never done by the previous governments,” the CM said.
