PANAJI
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday hit back at critics of the Town and Country Planning Department, a portfolio he holds, saying the department is being targeted for anything that happens in Goa.
He also said the TCP portfolio had been assigned to him by the Central leadership and “some people” are jealous of the work the department is doing.
“Anything happens anywhere and fingers are pointed to the TCP department. I don’t know what happens to them because Vishwajit Rane is the TCP minister..(tanche potant dukta ka kitem, hanv nokdo),” Rane said while addressing a press conference at his Miramar office.
“You should note that even before I became TCP minister, 1.5 crore square metres of land had already been converted. When the Regional Plan was formulated 9.5 crore square metres was converted and 8.5 crore square metres was reverted back,” Rane said.
On big ticket projects with glaring illegalities such as hill cutting, Rane said people are only talking but no one is ready to submit an official letter seeking action.
“In the matter of the Bhutani project, I had asked Vas (Cortalim MLA) to make a written representation. No one is willing to make a written complaint. Everyone is only talking,” the minister said.
“When I have stopped the Mangalam project, what’s there for me to handle this Bhutani,” Rane asked.
