MARGAO
Asserting that the government has betrayed the people of Goa on its promise to gift the people on Diwali day by stopping coal transportation and the destructive infrastructure work like double-tracking, expansion of National Highways, laying of 400 KV transmission line, etc, Goencho Avaaz said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant could have issued a notification to scrap the projects instead of saying that the government is ready for a rethink.
With just 48 hours to go for the 14th November deadline of a Diwali gift to scrap the projects, and the government issuing vague statements like “ready to rethink” with no definite action plan, has failed to remove the trust deficit, Goencho Avaaz has appealed, “we nonetheless appeal to the Chief Minister to walk the talk on his promises of stopping coal and immediately scrapping the destructive projects.”
The organisation has warned that it will be forced to take appropriate measures along with the people of Goa to stop the destructive projects, expose the nexus between the government and crony capitalists and ensure that Goa is kept safe for the future generations.
Goencho Avaaz further said that the organisation is weighing various options at its disposal to stop the government from going ahead with the projects, including the legal action.
Addressing the media, Goencho Avaaz co-convenor Capt Viriato Fernandes said the NGO during its meeting with the Chief Minister on October 13 had explained the entire destruction that would befall on Goa if the ill-conceived projects to transport coal was implemented. “The Chief Minister had assured that he would not allow the coal transportation through Goa nor would he allow the double-tracking. Based on this assurance, Goencho Avaaz had requested the Chief Minister to give a Diwali gift to the Children of Goa on November 14, 2020, which incidentally is also the Children’s Day,” he said.
Capt Viriato said if at all the government was serious in scrapping the anti-people, destructive projects, the Chief Minister could have announced the same in an unambiguous manner and issued a notification to the same, instead of saying “ready to rethink”. “Such double talk and changing of goal post by the government is just to buy time and fool the people of Goa. This goes to prove the control and influence that the crony capitalists are having over the government of Goa, which can be aptly called “Adani government”, he added.
Asserting the government of Goa is on a destructive path, unmindful of its obligation and duty towards the State and its people, probably under pressure from the corporate lobby dealing in coal business, he said the zeal and enthusiasm with which it has been pursuing the destructive projects viz. double-tracking of South Western Railways, expansion of National Highways, bulldozing the 400 KV line through Mollem National Park and the Bhagwan Mahavir Wild Life Sanctuary and damaging the Western Ghats goes to show as to what extent the coal lobby has control over the government.
“It’s been almost three years that Goencho Avaaz along with other organisations and the people of Goa have been protesting against the destructive projects, but the government seems to be bound by some obligations towards the coal lobby interested in getting coal from Australia,” he added.
Executive member Inacio Vas said the mystery behind the routing of the 400 KV transmission line despite the State getting a surplus of 400 MW as declared by the Power Minister himself, which again is connected with powering the engines at Collem to push the coal laden train uphill to castle rock and then onto Karnataka indicates skeletons in the cupboard of the government.
“The 400 KV power transmission lines proposed through Mollem is not to provide uninterrupted power supply to the domestic consumers, but to power the coal transporting wagons on the SWR route,” Inacio added.
