MARGAO
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha has once again made a fervent plea to the government to legalise sand extraction by allocating spaces to save the bundhs and rivers from destruction and to reduce the prices of sand prices.
Addressing the media, Sardinha hoped the eyes of the government would open at least after the firing incident at Curchorem, which claimed the life of a labourer engaged in sand extraction.
“Time and again, I have been requesting the government to start legal sand extraction. Sand has become a necessity and if sand is not extracted, the river channels will be silted,” he said.
He, however, said the extraction should not be allowed at the convenience of the parties, but at pre-determined spots, away from the bundhs and bridges.
“At places where sand extraction is going on with machines, the bundhs have collapsed into the river. We want the traditional sand extraction to continue, but with all precautionary measures in place,” he said, adding that the construction industry will collapse for want of easy availability of sand.
Questioning the government’s seriousness in tackling the illegal sand extraction, Sardinha further demanded to know what has prevented the law enforcing agencies in initiating action against vehicles transporting sand.
On the land grabbing cases, the MP demanded that the government take to task all the officials who acted in connivance with the accused involved in the cases. He also demanded that the government tell the SIT to complete the ongoing investigations in a time-bound manner.
On the deteriorating law and order situation, Sardinha said the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is a good man, but hastened to add that being a good man is not enough and the Chief Minister should keep his eyes open to incidents of murders, accidents et al in the State.
