MARGAO: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President, Girish Chodankar, has labelled the 24th Western Zone Council meeting held in Goa, on Thursday, as a BJP council meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The zone includes Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Union Territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru established the zonal councils to maintain cooperation, smooth functioning and coordination with the Centre. This meeting is held once in three years.
Chodankar claimed that there was no mention or discussion of pressing issues of Goa.
“The manner in which the meeting was held by the chairman of all the zones, that is, the Union Home Minister looked like it was a BJP Western Zone Council meeting,” Chodankar mocked.
“It was expected from Chief Minister of Goa to have discussed the pressing issues of Goa, between States or our State issues,” Chodankar said.
“The Mining issue was not discussed at the meeting. Is the Government serious on the mining issue? There is no mention of the mining issue being brought up at the meeting,” he said.
Pointing out that ketamine was found in a shed belonging to a BJP office bearer, an issue which the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had said has connections to Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat, Chodankar said that such an important subject was not discussed at the Western Zone Council meeting.
“Sudden release of water from Tillari Dam by Maharashtra led to flooding in 10 villages. But this was never mentioned at the meeting,” he said.
“Fishermen issues, threats to Goan writers, recruitment of outsiders for Central government jobs in Goa, tourism, interstate road transport, waterways and others were never discussed defeating the purpose of forming the council,” Chodankar said.
