Leader of the Opposition, Yuri Alemao, listed a plethora of issues that the MLAs in the Opposition will raise, including the often raked up green issues like the coal dust pollution due to increased handling of the cargo annually at MPA (Mormugao Port Authority), the three linear projects and industrial pollution at industrial estates, especially the one at Cuncolim.
However, beyond these generic issues, individual MLAs from the Opposition, are expected to take on the government on specific matters related to malfunction and maladministration in multiple departments which pose hurdles in simple day-to-day matters in the lives of the common man.
The absence of a proper, functional intensive-care unit (ICU) at the South Goa District Hospital (SGDH) for instance has been hanging fire for nearly a year. Families of patients who need intensive care are put to immense hardships having to fend for themselves and avail the facility in nearby private clinics if their loved ones cannot be referred to the Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for lack of space there.
The issue has been agitated in past sessions of the Goa legislative assembly with Aam Aadmi Party's Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas, raising it multiple times and others like Congress' Altone D'Costa and Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai, backing the demand for a full-fledged ICU unit at SGDH as well.
Pvt Medical College
linked to SGDH
Another issue related to the SGDH which the Opposition could agitate about in the House is the government's move to allow a private medical college to be set up and linked to the district hospital. Opposition members, especially Sardesai, have been voicing opposition to a private college ever since the government made its intentions public over two years ago.
Now that the cabinet has approved the decision to set up the private college on 10,000 square meters of land, the issue will resonate in the House during the monsoon session over matters related to the identity of the private entity that will set up the medical college and other nitty-gritties related to the deal.
Dengue scare
With the public health scare due to dengue spreading in the State and new hotspots emerging, the government's response to tackle the threat could come under intense scrutiny in the House. Opposition MLAs in particular are expected to play a stellar role in exposing the chinks in the armour of the Directorate of Health Services.
Other MLAs, especially those from the treasury benches whose constituencies are under threat like Calangute's Michael Lobo and Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar whose home village of Gaondongrim is the latest hotspot could join the chorus.
Rane, who holds the health portfolio, will have quite a bit of homework to do in bringing out the data and articulating the steps the DHS has been taking to tackle the threat.
'Smart City'
conundrum
Lack of transparency, holding contractors and consultants to account and the current status of the proposal to convert the capital into a 'smart city' is another subject the Opposition MLAs are expected to latch on to put the government on the mat.
Allegations of corruption and the lack of a mechanism to audit both the work executed and the finances of the special purpose vehicle -- Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) -- are likely to be scrutinised in the exchanges between the Opposition and the government during the session.
Power tariff
increase
The power tariff hike brought into effect by the State government from June 1 and the necessity of it is a question which Power Minister Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavlikar, is expected to be pushed to the wall to answer. Especially when the Electricity Department which Dhavlikar presides over has been lagging in recovering energy dues arrears of nearly Rs 1,460 crore from over 14,000 defaulting commercial, industrial and government office consumers.
Benaulim's Venzy Viegas and Velim's Cruz Silva, who belong to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has made "free electricity" to domestic consumers its signature campaign, are expected to raise the issue with vigour and embarrass the government for its unpopular decision to hike power tariffs for all categories. LoP Alemao, other Congress MLAs and Sardesai are also expected to flog the government on the issue.
Flooded with
controversy
The controversy surrounding Kala Academy might have been sidelined this Assembly session had it not been for the leakage and waterlogging. Right from pre-monsoon showers till the ongoing seasonal rainfall, the just-renovated iconic structure has once again dominated the headlines.
Minister for Art and Culture Govind Gaude, for the second year, is likely to face strong opposition for the alleged substandard work, despite his attempts to shift the blame on the Public Works Department.
Sources said the Opposition legislators have geared up to corner the government on the issue and the trailer was Congress and Goa Forward Party’s media statements demanding a judicial inquiry and white paper on the renovation works.
Allegations of irregularities, corruption and malpractice have plagued the project, which has been the talking point since the questionable tender process in 2022. The opposition and several activist groups claimed that the tender was awarded without following proper procedures while raising doubts about transparency and fairness.
Critics also accused the government, particularly Gaude of favouritism and nepotism, alleging that the contract was granted to a company with close ties to influential political figures.
Concerns are also raised about the exaggerated costs of the renovation. Reports of substandard construction work and delays in completing the works further fuelled the controversy as several cultural events had to be cancelled or relocated.
Now that Kala Academy is reopened for public events sans the open auditorium, the leakage, technical errors and waterlogging reignited the controversy. The opposition is set to demand accountability and transparency from the government.
Confronting govt
over Mhadei
The unresolved Mhadei water diversion is another prominent issue likely to be raised in the Assembly with LAQs also seeking to know the outcome of the second meeting of Mhadei Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH) in Bengaluru.
The government has often come under criticism for dragging its feet to ensure Mhadei’s rightful share of Goa and to halt Karnataka's ongoing work on the water diversion. The recent PRAWAH meeting in Bengaluru saw three officials from Goa present compared to 25-30 from Karnataka, a disparity that will be debated on the floor of the House even though Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that Goa’s small team carried more weight than Karnataka’s 30 representatives.
The PRAWAH’s familiarization visit to the Mhadei basin excluding the Parwad nullah “ the starting point of the diversion - will be another point of discussion. Sources said the government is ready with replies as all evidence including the reverse flow is already documented by the Committee for preparing its report.
Moreover, despite assurance during the winter session to schedule a meeting on February 29, the House Committee on Mhadei has not met so far.
The Opposition is also expected to demand the withdrawal of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Goa and Karnataka have long been embroiled in the dispute for decades with this conflict intensifying in December 2022 after the Central Water Commission (CWC) approved Karnataka’s DPR for the Kalasa-Bhandura project, wherein water will be diverted from the west-flowing streams of the Kalasa and Bandura, tributaries of the Mhadei river, to the east-flowing Malaprabha river.
Flooding at
Mopa airport
The recent flooding at MIA, built at the cost of several thousand crores of rupees, has added a new dimension to the controversy as this issue will also be raked up in the coming Assembly session.
The flooding at MIA has further drawn sharp criticism from the opposition, who questioned the hefty expenditure on the facility and its apparent lack of resilience.
