Team Herald
MARGAO: Refuting the allegations levelled against her on the issue of double tracking and coal transport, Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha on Sunday advised the “Goyant Kollso Naka” movement in Goa to adhere to the truth and not misinform the public with distorted facts to malign the reputation of those who genuinely take up issues for the welfare of Goa and its people.
Rebutting the charges of the “Goyant Kollso Naka” movement, Alina said, “I say this with reference to the statement made by Goyant Kollso Naka convenor Antonio D’Silva and co-convenor Abhijit Prabhudesai who stated that the above three projects were approved in 2019 by Pratapsingh Rane and Alina Saldanha among others. This is a blatant lie as both, Pratapsingh Rane and myself Alina Saldanha fought tooth-and-nail against these three linear projects passing through the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, during the meeting of the State Board for Wildlife, held on 02.12.2019, at the official residence of Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, at Altinho, Panjim”.
“One does not become great by trying to malign the other. If the statement made by the convenor and co-Convenor of Goyant Kollso Naka was true, I would not have been the first MLA to write to the Central Empowered Committee constituted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, to take note of these projects and do the needful to save Goa from further destruction,” Alina said.
The GKN had alleged that the Wildlife Board meeting minutes revealed that this devastation was approved by Manohar Parrikar, Rajendra Arlekar and Ganesh Gaonkar in the meeting held in 2016, and by Pramod Sawant, Pratapsingh Rane, Alina Saldanha and Prasad Gaonkar in 2019.
