OLD GOA
Stating that he along with his father and Union Minister Shripad Naik were always with the people in opposing the Bainguinim plant, BJP’s youth leader and Cumbarjua ZP candidate Siddesh Naik lambasted the Congress for trying to gain political mileage on the issue.
Speaking at a media conference at his St Pedro residence on Wednesday, Naik said, “Congress is always known to see politics in every issue and that is what they proved while addressing a media conference a couple of days back, when the Cumbarjua Congress block president Vishal Volvoikar stated that Union Minister Shripad Naik is opposing the issue only to help me win the ZP elections.”
“In the past, Congress never spoke against the Bainguinim plant but at the media conference, the leaders targeted me and my father, which goes to show their real intent.”
“This project was proposed by the Congress itself and now the party is trying to gain mileage by targeting me and my father,” Naik stated, while rubbishing the allegations that they are trying to take advantage for ZP polls.
“We were approached by residents with a request that they wanted Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to visit the site due to which we approached the CM, who assured that he would visit the site,” Naik said.
Agreeing that they were not directly involved in any agitation against the Bainguinim plant, Naik said it was because they wanted it to be a people’s agitation and not a political one.
“But we have always supported the people on the issue from the beginning and will continue to support. When I was an Old Goa panch from 2014-2017, I had always opposed the plant, be it at the fortnightly meeting or the gram sabha.”
“Our stand is clear that we are opposed to the project as Old Goa is a heritage site and the plateau where the plant is planned is rich in biodiversity and natural resources,” he added.
Asked whether it would be able to hold the project at such a stage when the tender has been issued, Naik said the government should take a look at the issue on humanitarian grounds and do a rethink because there are residential colonies very close to the plant site.
“We have suggested that the plant could be set up in an industrial area, where industrial as well as residential waste could be treated and residents will not get affected,” he pointed out.
