PANAJI
The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has accused the BJP government of turning a blind eye to the plight of the people of Goa, particularly in the north district, over water shortage and instead prioritizing the interests of commercial establishments. In a memorandum to Public Works Department on Thursday, the party leaders have called for immediate action to address the water crisis and ensure that residents have access to adequate water supply.
"The aftereffects of Mhadei water diversion are visible from acute water shortage in Goa. We have information from reliable Sources that the Government has illegally provided water to commercial establishments with blessings of ministers and MLAs from ruling party. This unaccounted water diversion is one of the causes for the disaster steering at the State," the GPCC President Amit Patkar, who led a delegation to PWD Chief Engineer said in the memorandum copy.
Expressing their concern over the issue, the Congress party has demanded a white paper from the government regarding the water crisis and also a detailed plan of action on the number of hours the people of Goa living in their houses will get water supply.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Patkar alleged that the double engine government in the State and Centre connived to divert the river Mhadei to Karnataka. "Despite Congress Party along with environmental scientist, and concerned citizens and activists highlighted the disaster that will impact Goa’s drinking water, agriculture, fishing, navigation, and overall ecology in case of diversion of river Mhadei, the Government at the centre and State ignored the warnings and the sentiments of the people and is hell bent to destroy Goa by diverting the river Mhadei," the memorandum states.
The party further mentioned that the Assonora River which caters to the drinking needs to almost seven constituencies of North Goa was declared Polluted by CPWD a few years back, however no efforts have been made till date to rejuvenate the river. "It is also observed that periodic maintenance is not done of various Water Treatment Plants in Goa which results in frequent breakdowns causing interruption in water supply. Government has also failed to provide uninterrupted power to the Water Treatment Plants resulting in breakdowns," it said demanding immediate tackling of the problem.
