MARGAO: Ganv Bhavancho Ekvott, an organisation committed to improving the quality of life of the people of the villages is shocked over Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s statement that people not living in Goa are objecting to the wanton destruction that is planned of the wildlife sanctuaries in Goa.
General secretary Alzira Fernandes said, “In the first place it is a fact that many Goans are forced to work overseas because the governments in Goa failed miserably to provide proper job opportunities for them. It is significant to note that many Goans are working abroad as Indian nationals as they have not surrendered their citizenship and hence Dr Pramod is totally wrong to imply that non-Goans are objecting to the projects.”
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“Secondly, the world believes that the next World War will be because of water and by destroying forests and depleting the forest cover, we are moving towards water scarcity about which all right thinking people should be worried and bothered about,” she said.
“Dr Pramod appears to be following the Bharatiya Janata Party philosophy of not acknowledging a problem and instead trying to blame someone else. While at the Centre, Pakistan is being blamed for anything and everything, Dr Pramod seems to have taken the task of blaming non-resident Goans,” Fernandes alleged.
“Permissions were deliberately sought and given to small projects which together form a major project and this was done as bigger projects demand tighter scrutiny and compels the proponent to adhere to environmental laws,” she informed.
“It is fact that the movement to save the wildlife in Goa is spearheaded by locals who want to preserve their beautiful Goa for the next generation and Ganv Bhavancho Ekvott is one such organization that is also struggling to preserve the heritage of its village, which was the first capital of Goa during the Kadamba rule. It is high time that the Chief Minister accepts this fact instead of unnecessarily dismissing the people’s struggle as one instigated by non-residents,” she added.
