the goan I network
PANAJI
All India Congress Committee Secretary Girish Chodankar on Thursday lashed out at the statement by Goa Forward minister Vijai Sardesai that the state will import coconuts from Sri Lanka to ease the soaring prices of the commodity and alleged that this announcement smacks of a bigger conspiracy to convert Goa's coconut groves into settlement areas under proposed Regional Plan.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Chodankar had criticised rising prices of coconut and vegetables in Goa and had blamed Sardessai for neglecting agriculture portfolio and focusing only on TCP.
Chodankar said that Sardesai and his mentor Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar are all set to convert vast tracts of beautiful land in Goa under proposed Regional Plan and extended Planning and Development Authorities.
"They will not spare even the coconut groves due to which the future-scarcity of coconuts is staring at Goa. It is condemnable that the state government, instead of promoting agriculture is looking at importing coconut.
"This is also in a stark contradiction to the melodrama played by Goa Forward Party in the state legislative assembly of announcing coconut tree as state tree," Chodankar noted.
He said that it is a mockery that Goa will have to import fruits of the state tree from the foreign country and stated, "Rather than giving the coconut tree a fancy identity as state tree, the government should have worked out ways and means to protect and promote the trees."
"The government which pledges and declares coconut tree as state tree and goes for import of coconuts is a cruel joke of Goemkarponn and coconut tree which is regarded as Goa's natural richness and identity" Chodankar
lamented.
PANAJI
All India Congress Committee Secretary Girish Chodankar on Thursday lashed out at the statement by Goa Forward minister Vijai Sardesai that the state will import coconuts from Sri Lanka to ease the soaring prices of the commodity and alleged that this announcement smacks of a bigger conspiracy to convert Goa's coconut groves into settlement areas under proposed Regional Plan.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Chodankar had criticised rising prices of coconut and vegetables in Goa and had blamed Sardessai for neglecting agriculture portfolio and focusing only on TCP.
Chodankar said that Sardesai and his mentor Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar are all set to convert vast tracts of beautiful land in Goa under proposed Regional Plan and extended Planning and Development Authorities.
"They will not spare even the coconut groves due to which the future-scarcity of coconuts is staring at Goa. It is condemnable that the state government, instead of promoting agriculture is looking at importing coconut.
"This is also in a stark contradiction to the melodrama played by Goa Forward Party in the state legislative assembly of announcing coconut tree as state tree," Chodankar noted.
He said that it is a mockery that Goa will have to import fruits of the state tree from the foreign country and stated, "Rather than giving the coconut tree a fancy identity as state tree, the government should have worked out ways and means to protect and promote the trees."
"The government which pledges and declares coconut tree as state tree and goes for import of coconuts is a cruel joke of Goemkarponn and coconut tree which is regarded as Goa's natural richness and identity" Chodankar
lamented.
