MAPUSA
The Congress on Saturday said that the BJP-led government has failed to take any concrete steps against land grab in the State even as the common man was finding it difficult to make ends meet due to spiralling inflation.
The grand old party also slammed the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) for eyeing the Lok Sabha election with the intention to divide votes and help the BJP.
“It seems like the Special Investigation Team was formed to do settings with land grabbers. If not, then why is there no action against those involved in land grab? Even officers involved in the scam should be booked,” said Vijay Bhike, Congress General Secretary.
The Congress General Secretary was addressing a news conference in Mapusa in presence of Congress leaders Virendra Shirodkar, Himanshu Tivrekar, Pradip Harmakar, Akshay Naik and Pramesh Mayekar.
Continuing, Bhike said the issue of land grab was also raised in the assembly but so far, no action was forthcoming.
“Illegal land grabbing is going on in Calangute and other places. But the government is mum over it. There were cases filed against MLA Michael Lobo in regard to illegalities and filling of land, but after he joined the BJP there has been no action against him,” he pointed out.
He exhorted the people of Goa to question the saffron party about inflation, mining resumption, status of land grabbing and free cylinders promised by it.
The Congress general secretary also censured the RGP for unnecessarily targeting the Congress party.
Questioning the intention of RGP for not contesting elections to the local bodies, he said that the regional party was eyeing Lok Sabha election only to divide votes and help the BJP.
“Manoj Parab doesn’t speak on suspension of mining and how the mining dependents are suffering. He even failed to speak about the benami transport company run by politicians in power. RGP is for namesake and to divide votes,” he said.
Cong to lead morcha if Mapusa roads are not repaired within 8 days
MAPUSA: Slamming the electricity department for failing to patch up the roads dug open to lay underground cables, Congress General Secretary, Vijay Bhike warned if the power department fails to repair the roads within eight days, then Congress will lead a morcha before the electricity department.
“We are not against development but authorities concerned should have carried out patch up work of the broken roads before the advent of monsoon to avoid risks to motorists and pedestrians,” Bhike said.
“If the electricity department fails to repair the roads within eight days, then we will take a morcha before the department,” he added.
Several roads in the heart of the town have been dug up during the ongoing underground power cabling work.
The PWD department which was supposed to take repair work of the roads have failed to do so despite the delay in arrival of the monsoon.
Sources informed that tender for the work was passed but the file was held up for failure to get expenditure sanction.
