Team Herald
MARGAO: Accusing the government of being “deaf, dumb and impotent”, the Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Wednesday announced that it will immediately petition Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also the Chairperson of the National Disaster Management Authority through State Governor to do the needful ASAP for the return of seafarers.
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“We knew this government is deaf and dumb; now proven impotent”, GFP president Vijai Sardesai said and recollected that the Central Government had announced on Tuesday that it will send 64 flights to rescue Indians stranded in different parts of the world including the US and Europe from May 7.
“Interestingly, these 64 flights will operate to and fro from 10 different States in India. Shockingly, Goa does not figure in those ten States despite the fact that thousands of Goan Seafarers and other Non-Resident Goans (NRGs) are stranded onshore and offshore in different parts of the World,” Vijai wondered.
“The State Government, which is responsible for the wellbeing of its subjects and which was supposed to take up their matter with the Central Government, acted deaf and dumb for weeks,” he alleged.
“All this time, we have been only given ‘feel-good’ promises and assurances by the government and their loud mouths and turn-coats in Goa. We have been hearing the same message “that it is a Central Government matter and we are following up daily with the PM and HM’s Offices” like the BSNL recorded message of “all the lines in this route are busy, please call after sometime,” he charged.
“The least this Government could have asked for is a permission to open up Dabolim Airport to allow rescue flights chartered by the seafarer companies to land. Even this concession they were not able to get from the Central Government despite it being ruled by the same BJP party,” he added.
