PONDA: Former chief minister and ex-Ponda MLA Ravi Naik said that while demolishing illegal hutments and undertaking national highway road widening work at Baina, the Goa government should not forget that during the last two to three decades, these migrants from Karnataka and other states contributed to the infrastructure development by way of their labour when Goans were reluctant to do such hard work.
While addressing the media on Saturday, Naik said that this is the reason why they should be rehabilitated suitably by the Goa government thus recognising their contribution towards the development of Goa.
Whether road construction, building, waterlines, powerlines, sewerage or for any other work, the contractors in Goa use their labour and these labourers, whether it rained or temperatures soar, did hard work for Goa. The politicians in Goa and Karnataka are presently involved in allegations and counter allegations on migrants job in each others’ states. They should not waste their time in such useless allegations and instead think of rehabilitating these migrants whose houses are demolished and those to be demolished in the future.
He said the government has failed in re-starting mining in Goa and has only been declaring months and dates of restarting mining in Goa. It failed to start mining even with their own BJP government ruling at the Centre. Government should see that the constant delay in starting mining should not become the cause of suicides by mining dependent people who are relying on it for livelihood and eagerly waiting to re-start work.
Naik said the State government failed to bring major development works in Goa and they are only doing publicity of development of roads and bridges which are funded by Central government in Goa, as if the projects undertaken were by the Goa government.
