MARGAO
Margao Congress leader Savio Coutinho has on Thursday claimed that the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd has literally "sold off" land sacrificed by Goans, to a non-Goan agency, to construct commercial premises and rent out the same.
Coutinho made this scathing attack at a press briefing called to announce that the KRCL has extended the last date for submission of applications for the 170 vacancies to be filled by KRCL.
It may be recalled that two weeks ago, a delegation of landlosers led by Coutinho presented a memorandum to South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, requesting him to demand for extension to time limit for submitting job applications, and allotment of self employment opportunities in the form of commercial premises to landlosers and Goan youth.
Addressing the press along with Camilo Camara, Anwar Naroo, Robert Vaz, Aneil Alvares, Damodar Onskar and others, Coutinho wholeheartedly thanked South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes for successfully convincing the KRCL to extend the last date from October 7 to October 21, and appealed to the youth of Goa to immediately visit the KRCL website and submit their applications as per their eligibility.
He further stated that apart from making unemployed youth aware about the job opportunities at KRCL, he requested all the elected representatives including the Chief Minister of Goa to demand that the KRCL provide maximum quota of the vacancies to Goan youth.
With respect to the new commercial premises coming up in the open space at Margao Railway station, Coutinho stated that as much as Captain Viriato Fernandes was shocked upon being informed by the KRCL authorities that the commercial premises are being constructed by a private agency, and that the rights to let out these premises are given exclusively to this contractor.
“We are surprised that the powers that be have remained a silent spectator to this scheme. "The people who sacrificed this land of theirs for peanuts as compensation, didn't do so for non-Goan agencies to reap monetary benefits of this prime land", Coutinho said.
Captain Viriato Fernandes has assured us to raise this issue before the parliament, and demand for benefits to Goan youth, Coutinho informed.
