Thursday 28 Mar 2024

Snatching away livelihood when it mattered most

Hurry shown by govt to demolish structures outside GMC is perplexing, to say the least

JERRY FERNANDES | JULY 03, 2021, 11:33 PM IST
Snatching away livelihood when it mattered most

The BJP government (despite the CM Pramod Sawant himself assuring a delegation of vendors of not demolishing their stalls just the previous day through the media) reportedly demolished around 40-odd structures, including food stalls belonging to the same vendors outside the Goa Medical College Hospital, Bambolim, in the early morning hours of the very next day (July 1) for allegedly encroaching on government property and conducting business illegally without obtaining the mandatory permissions.

Well, this might sound like sweet music for a few heartless people out there but wasn’t right on part of the government to carry out such an operation to snatch away the livelihood of all those helpless struggling poor people, especially during this gruelling ongoing pandemic crisis in the state, just because it currently wants to somehow go ahead with its road-widening plans near the entrance of the GMC area outside? 

The affected people had definitely not set up their structures overnight and were carrying on with their usual business outside the GMC complex for the last so many years. Now, what made the government of the day go after them suddenly in so much hurry after so many years and that too in the wee hours? Or was this act committed just because these stalls run by a few locals were practically giving a tough challenge/fight for the stalls inside the GMC complex (stalls which are currently selling even simple food items at a very higher price and looting the poor) and which are run by close friends of one prominent minister from the same government?

Talking about illegalities, well, there is also one religious structure that has been set up illegally right outside near the GMC entrance gate and which is clearly obstructing the free flow of traffic almost daily in the said area. Now, why is the government not touching the said structure too and still refusing to demolish the same despite the Supreme Court’s past historic judgement which has directed all state governments to demolish such types of religious structures for obstructing the free-flow of traffic near all the national highways in India? 

Today, one can practically also find thousands of houses, business establishments like hotels, restaurants, etc of all the outsiders and which have come up illegally in almost most parts of Goa not just on Comunidade but also on government land. Unfortunately, the government is seen doing absolutely nothing in such cases, why? 

The Pramod Sawant-led BJP government in the state talks of Aatmanirbhar Bharat on one hand and then takes away employment of unemployed people on the other indulging in such outrageous acts. Now, isn’t that most shocking and shameful? Time to seriously teach such a most arrogant/stubborn anti-Goan BJP government a hard lesson in the upcoming assembly elections in Goa.


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