PANAJI
The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday demanded that the Government take residents of the villages to be impacted by the Pernem entertainment village into confidence about the project. AAP also stated that the gram sabha has to be taken into confidence in the case of such projects.
In a press release, AAP stated that the land is not the private property of MLAs and found it surprising that time and again the Government was not taking Goans into confidence before setting up mega projects.
The release further states that the villagers of Pernem, Mandrem and Siolim have not been taken into confidence with this project and once again gram sabhas have been ignored while taking important decisions that impact land usage and other parts of the lives of villagers. Earlier this year AAP leader and Mandrem Assembly Incharge Adv Prasad Shahpurkar led villagers to protest these actions by the Government.
It may be recalled that in 2016, an Interim Tourism Policy showed that a “Gaming District” was proposed along the Chapora River in North Goa. This master plan showed casino-based tourism in large parts of Pernem and Bardez talukas. After a public uproar, this part of the Tourism Policy was shelved, and the issue was swept under the carpet. However, it appears the same master plan is being executed, but in a piecemeal fashion to avoid a public backlash. This entertainment city is the first piece of the overall master plan, the AAP release stated.
AAP insists that the villagers who will be impacted should be consulted first and all their opinions must be brought on board before such projects are implemented, the release added.
