SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The bGoa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Sunday released a 21-point manifesto for the Lok Sabha election ensuring to protect the environment and identity of Goa.
GPCC President Amit Patkar along with Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, MLA Altone D'Costa, North Goa candidate Adv Ramakant Khalap and South Goa candidate Capt Viriato Fernandes released the manifesto and said that it will be implemented no sooner INDIA bloc partners form the next government.
Speaking on the occasion, Patkar said, "There is fear among the people of Goa that the State is losing its identity due to massive corruption, drug trade, prostitution and other things. But we promise you that both our candidates will raise these issues in Lok Sabha and address them."
Stating that protecting the environment, forest, wildlife and river Mhadei is very important, Patkar said, "BJP government has failed to protect these important things and even failed to create employment and to divert the attention from these key issues. They claim to have constructed Highways but I allege that they have constructed highways for coal transportation and not in the interest of the State."
BJP has nothing to show, hence they are saying they have built a third bridge on Mandovi river. That means the other two bridges were not built by them. They can’t erase development works done by the Congress Party," he said.
He said that scrapping of three linear projects and halting coal transportation will be the priority of the Congress.
"We don’t want Goa to become a coal hub, our people residing in Mormugao taluka are suffering due to coal transportation. We promise the people of Goa that we will stop such polluting practices," Patkar said.
Patkar said that the BJP was responsible for halting mining activities in Goa and had failed miserably to resume it despite promises. “But we ensure that immediate steps will be taken for resumption of legal mining,” he said.
Patkar said that because of mining closure, many lost their jobs and businesses too. “We will create employment, so the local youths gets source of income,” he said.
Patkar said that as Goa is dependent on tourism, his party will see that the tourism industry is revived. “We will protect the interest of seafarers and will continue the OCI facility till Dual Citizenship Rights are achieved by our people,” he said.
The GPCC president said that political reservation for Schedule Tribe is very important and hence this issue will be resolved.
“We will also take up issues of reservation of education and jobs for ST, SC and OBC,” Patkar said.
