The Congress and BJP in Canacona have been frequently sparring in recent times and the latest feud has been over pending road works in the taluka.
While the Congress has demanded early completion of pending works allotted to the contractor in May, the BJP has hit back by accusing the Congress of trying to hijack the “good work” being done by Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes.
Recently, a Congress group led by Canacona Congress Block President Prahlay Bhagat barged into the office of PWD (Roads) in the government office complex and confronted Assistant Engineer M G Aribenchi over the delay in executing the work to improve and resurface the stretch of road opposite the Canacona Police Station to Sakhreval.
They claimed the project had been tendered to the contractor in May and had to be completed within 90 days.
Others in the delegation included GPCC State Secretary Mahadev Dessai and former Gaondongrem sarpanch Rajendra Velip. The assistant engineer is reported to have assured the Congress delegation of completing the project.
Incidentally, the pending work on the Sakhreval road had been identified by the Deputy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes as one of four works in Canacona municipality that he had managed to get sanctioned by the government.
Canacona Congress Block President Prahlay Bhagat then claimed that the Congress had actually taken up the matter with the authorities since people in Sakhreval had faced hardships on account of the bad road since the last three years.
Hitting back at the Congress, a BJP worker and social activist Dhiraj Naikgaunkar accused the Congress of sabotaging development works and taking undue credit for works initiated and executed by the MLA.
“Our MLA is doing good work in Canacona. At present, we are sad to see the opposition led by the Canacona Congress which has begun the trend of hijacking project and works initiated by the MLA,” said Naikgaunkar.
Added another BJP activist: “These hijackers should know that people of Canacona are not fools and they should not waste their energy.
