PANAJI
The Congress in Goa on Thursday drew up a laundry list of demands for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address on September 18, when Modi is scheduled to conduct a series of interactions with the state's politicians, Covid warriors, recovered patients and members of the general public.
Addressing a press conference in Panaji, at the state Congress headquarters, state Congress president Girish Chodankar also said that Modi should announce the scrapping of the three linear projects involving the road, rail and power sector, which the top Congress official said would only bring environmental and health hazards to the doorsteps of Goa and Goans.
"Goa is being turned into a coal hub for Modi's friends in Delhi and Gujarat. Goans have no takeaway or benefit from these projects. Coal is already getting seeped into the health of Goans making them sicker," Chodankar said.
"We urge the Prime Minister, when you interact with the people of Goa, announce that Goa will not be a coal hub and Goa will be rid of coal dust," Chodankar told the press conference.
The state Congress president also said that the Prime Minister, when he interacts with the people of Goa, should also assure them that justice will be done to the state as far as the Mhadei issue is concerned.
"BJP leaders have compromised our mother Mhadei and sold it to Karnataka for political purposes. The damage to Goa because of this compromise is irreversible. It will cause immeasurable hardship to Goans in the years to come. PM should give justice to Goa on this issue," Chodankar said, adding that Modi should also allay fears about the controversial Major Ports Bill, which the Congress official said, would put the state's natural resources in a bind.
"The Bill should be withdrawn. No one sitting in Delhi should decide the fate of Goa's rivers," Chodankar said.
The state Congress president also said that Modi should apologise to the people of Goa and he along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should take the responsibility for the 3,300 plus deaths which have occurred in the state on account of mismanagement of the Covid crisis by the state government.
"Every family in Goa is in sorrow because someone or the other whom they know has died of Covid. He should apologise to the people of Goa and take responsibility for the deaths because the government has fallen short to manage the crisis," Chodankar said, adding that Modi should also come clean on why the BJP-led governments, both at the centre and the state have failed to provide jobs to the unemployed youth in the state.
