Canconkars demand closer petrol stations

CANACONA: With over 50, 000 residents is home to thousands of motor vehicles reflecting the economic well being of the once economically backward taluka.

With so many vehicles on the road it requires fuel filling stations but if one looks at the scenario of location of petrol pumps , it looks absurd to say the least.

There is one petrol station as one enters Canacona from northern side located at Gulem, this pump caters to motorists from Canacona municipal and other six panchayats areas from the taluka.

While Loliem-Polem panchayat with a population about 10% of the entire taluka has three petrol pumps, one is at Mashem the other two are in Polem close to the Karnataka border.

With motor fuel not coming under the GST ambit, petrol and diesel are still charged at different tax rates by Goa and Karnataka, making motor fuel cheaper by about Rs 10 at petrol pumps in Goa.

These difference in rates have always attracted people living on the other side of the border to come with their vehicles to fill fuel in their vehicles which explains why the village has so many petrol stations. 

Villages like Cola, Gaondogrem, Cotigao, Chiplem are some 30 kms away from the petrol pump at Gulem.

Every household in these villages have at least one two wheeler and every time they come to refill at Gulem they end up burning about 2 litres of fuel complain vehicle owners from here.

Kust Gaonkar, deputy Sarpanch and tribal leader from Gaondogrem recently brought this issue to the notice of Isidore Fernandes, MLA of Canacona, "Gaondogrem and Cotigao has close to a thousand vehicles, agriculture being the major activity, farmers have agricultural equipments also.

These machines need petrol or diesel to operate and the poor farmers travel in some cases more than 30 kms for the motor fuel we request the authorities to install a petrol pump on the lines of petrol pumps installed at fishing jetties either at Cotigao or Gaondogrem" Mr. Gaonkar suggested.

Speaking to this correspondent MLA Isidore Fernandes said that he sympathises with the locals specially people from Cotigao, Gaondogrem, Poinguinim, Agonda and Cola who have to travel so much distance for refilling fuel.

"I will meet the concerned officials of the petroleum companies regarding this issue" Mr. Fernandes said.