SATURDAY, MAY 04, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The people of North Goa have given me a chance to serve them for five consecutive terms, and in the last 10 years, I sanctioned more than 1,200 projects under the MPLAD scheme, of which more than 1,100 of them have been completed, BJP candidate for North Goa constituency and incumbent MP, Shripad Naik said on Monday
According to him, work on the remaining 100 projects is underway and will be completed within the next 6-7 months.
A report detailing the work done by MP Naik during his tenure from 2014 to 2024 was published through a booklet on Monday. On the occasion, BJP State president and MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, general secretary and former MLAs Damu Naik and Sidharth Kuncalienkar were present.
Shripad Naik said that it has been possible to implement many projects in the city and villages only with the cooperation of MLAs, councillors and panchayat members who come under the Jurisdiction of North Goa Lok Sabha Parliamentary constituency.
The major chunk of projects includes 91 public halls, 72 smashan bhumi (crematoria), classrooms for educational institutions, auditoriums, laboratories, books for libraries, bus services, etc. Every school in North Goa district has benefitted from the MPLAD fund in one form or the other, he claimed. “The proposal for the Mopa international airport had started when I was the civil aviation minister in the Vajpayee government. The work, which was stalled during the Congress government, resumed in 2014. During my tenure as AYUSH Minister in the Modi government, funds were made available for setting up 102 hospitals across the country. In Goa too, work is underway to build a hospital at Moti Dongar along with a grand project at Dhargalim. Facilities under AYUSH have also been made available at Ribandar,” said Naik.
He said that during his tenure as the Minister of Tourism, a Water Sports Institute was set up at Taleigao where three-month courses related to tourism and water sports are available. Two jetties and cruise tourism were promoted at Mormugao Port when he was in charge of the shipping ministry. “The issue of Overseas Citizen of India was resolved by the Centre and a notification has been issued that the receipt of surrendering the passport will be sufficient to maintain OCI status. This has mainly brought relief to Goans, for which I thank the Centre,” Naik said.
Referring to the development works done by Naik, party president Tanavade said Congress candidates have woken up after 25 years. They don’t even know where development works have been done.
