PANJIM: The Congress on Monday threatened to disrupt the forthcoming Indian Super League (ISL) tournament in Goa, scheduled from November 22, if government fails to give the logistic contracts to the locals and terminate the existing services with non-Goan firms, within next four-days.
Earlier last week, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant had to intervene into a brewing conflict after taxi and bus operators warned to take legal action against the ISL practice teams for using public transport vehicles registered outside the State to transport players and officials within the coastal State.
Addressing media persons, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) general secretary Sankalp Amonkar alleged that the entire logistic contract related to ISL tournament is handed over to a Bangalore-based agency, while no business is given to the local vendors or suppliers.
“In the COVID pandemic, it was duty of the government to provide business to locals. ISL is one such big tournament, which would have helped local vendors and contractors to earn their livelihood. However, the government awarded contract to non-Goan firm,” he said.
Amonkar said all this while, the contracts, right from providing public transport, hotels, groundsmen, security, electrical items, etc, were issued to the locals.
“We give four-days time to the government to terminate all the contracts issued to outsiders and give preference to the locals. Failure to do so, would force Congress to disrupt the entire ISL tournament. We won’t let any matches to take place,” he said.
Amonkar said all the ISL-related activities including training would be disrupted.
