MARGAO
Margao Municipal councillor Mahesh Amonkar on Thursday called off the indefinite strike on Thursday after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured that the government would work out a solution to the change in zone of the Sonsodo land acquired for the kabrastan.
The Chief Minister spoke to Amonkar after Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar called him up from the venue of the hunger strike on Thursday evening.
Ajgaonkar who called on Amonkar along with BJP spokesperson Urfan Mulla said the Chief Minister has invited a delegation to Panaji to discuss the kabrastan issue, including the controversial issue of change in zone of the Sonsodo land.
Amonkar later announced that he has withdrawn his three-day hunger strike after the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister promised to resolve the kabrastan tangle. “When I went on strike, I had demanded that the government assure me to change the zone of the Sonsodo land to kabrastan. Since the Deputy Chief Minister has got an assurance from the Chief Minister, I end my indefinite fast,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister took the platform to take pot shots at Margao MLA and Opposition leader Digambar Kamat for having failed to address the kabrastan issue plaguing the Muslim community.
“If the land was acquired in 2011 and was handed over to the Jamia Masjid for maintenance, the Margao MLA should answer to the Muslim community why the kabrastan has not taken shape till date. The Muslim community had stood by Digambar Kamat all these years and it is surprising that the MLA has failed to resolve the issue till date,” he chided.
