MAPUSA
The Goa Legislative Assembly witnessed a brief disruption during Question Hour on Friday as Opposition members accused the government of selling the State’s rivers to the Centre.
The uproar led to heated debates and protests in the House.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Ports Minister Aleixo Sequeira refuted the allegations, asserting that the nationalisation of the rivers has brought substantial benefits to the State.
They highlighted that the Central government has invested crores of rupees into developing these national waterways to facilitate shipping and navigation.
Opposition MLAs, protesting the government’s decision to nationalise the rivers, rushed to the well of the House, accusing the government of sacrificing State interests.
Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira claimed that the government initially rejected, but later accepted, the central proposal for river nationalisation.
He recounted that previous Chief Ministers, Digambar Kamat and Manohar Parrikar, had refused the proposal, while former CM Laxmikant Parsekar eventually accepted it, citing a change in the central government’s attitude post-May 2014.
Ferreira criticised the BJP-led government for not thoroughly studying the proposal, calling it a “fraudulent justification” and accusing the government of selling the rivers under the guise of nationalisation.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao also condemned the government’s decision, arguing that the nationalisation primarily serves to facilitate coal transportation. AAP’s Cruz Silva echoed these sentiments, questioning the intent behind the move.
In response, Ports Minister Sequeira explained that under Article 246 of the Indian Constitution, Parliament has exclusive legislative power over matters in List 1 of the Seventh Schedule, which includes the National Waterways Act, 2016.
This Act declared six of Goa’s rivers as national waterways.
Sequeira emphasised that the State government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Central government, detailing the developmental plans for these rivers, which would benefit the State.
The situation escalated when Sequeira began reading the MoU instead of addressing the specific concerns of the MLAs, prompting the Opposition to storm the well of the House.
Chief Minister Sawant intervened, assuring the House that the MoU would be made available for scrutiny.
He highlighted that Goa is the only State that has negotiated with the Centre on this issue and signed a MoU aimed at safeguarding the State’s interests.
The session underscored the contentious nature of the river nationalisation issue, reflecting deep divisions between the State government and the Opposition on the matter.
