CANACONA
Reacting sharply to the allegations, Canacona MLA and Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar has claimed that ground realities had make it difficult for the government to resolve the two issues confronting residents of Indrawada-Goandongrim.
“The road and water shortage issues at Indrawada are not new and these problems did not surface only after BJP came to power three-and-half years ago,” said Tawadkar, while speaking to The Goan.
“There is a long-standing land dispute regarding the road construction and successive governments could not proceed beyond plans. I personally tried hard to obtain the required NOCs, so that the road could have been constructed by PWD or the panchayat.”
“These Congressmen should know they too could not obtain NOCs to construct this road when they were in power. Finally, the people got things moving by amicably working out a solution with certain people in the locality, who were blocking development in the area.”
“Believe me, I was present there the whole day when residents themselves removed their own cowsheds and other structures that were obstructing the way, before beginning work to construct that road. No Congressmen were there at the site, but my party workers and I did the odd jobs on our own. But it is true that the people undertook the work at their own expense,” Tawdkar said.
Commenting on the water shortage issue, Tawadkar said Indrawada has about four pipelines, considering difficulties the residents have been facing for agriculture and domestic purposes.
“It is true that residents themselves took on the responsibility to lay these pipelines and even constructed water storage tanks, only because NOCs were not forthcoming, and hence, authorities could not help the people,” said Tawadkar.
