Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday assured the Goa Legislative Assembly that the government would bring an ordinance within a month to address the long-pending issue of providing water and electricity connections to Economically Weaker/Essential Housing Needs (EHN) houses that have clear titles.
The assurance came after MLA Govind Gaude raised the matter during Zero Hour, highlighting the hardships faced by EHN beneficiaries across the State. Gaude said several EHN houses, though already allotted and occupied, continue to remain without basic amenities such as potable drinking water and power supply.
Calling the situation a matter of “grave concern”, Gaude said beneficiaries belonging to economically weaker sections were being forced to live in extremely difficult and inhuman conditions.
He pointed out that despite repeated applications and representations, files related to water and electricity connections have been pending for long periods with the concerned government departments.
Gaude attributed the delay to a lack of coordination between departments, which, he said, was causing avoidable suffering to poor families.
He urged the Public Works Department and the Power Department to intervene immediately, ensure time-bound clearances of pending files and direct officials to provide basic civic amenities without further delay to all EHN housing beneficiaries.
Responding to the issue, the Chief Minister assured the House that the government was aware of the problem and would address it through an ordinance to streamline the process of providing water and electricity connections to EHN houses with clear titles.
He said the ordinance would be brought within a month, underlining the government’s commitment to social justice and ensuring basic amenities for the economically weaker sections.
