Team Herald
VASCO: Activists, villagers and elected representatives thronged Sancoale in large numbers and appealed to former sarpanch Premanand Naik to withdraw his indefinite fast, which entered the third day on Wednesday.
South Goa MP Capt Viriato Fernandes, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva, and others met Naik and pledged their support to the fight against Bhutani Infra project. Expressing serious concern over Naik’s health, they appealed to him to withdraw his fast.
However, Naik insisted that the Sancoale Village Panchayat should immediately revoke the construction licence issued to M/s Parmesh Constructions Company Limited or Bhutani Infra to construct a mega housing project comprising 700 villas and flats.
Capt Fernandes appealed to Naik not to take extreme steps and to withdraw his hunger strike.
He said, “Naik’s decision to adopt the Gandhian way of protest is admirable, but his health is at risk. Sancoale will lose a gem if anything happens to him, while the project proponents and panchayat members will remain unaffected.”
“I appeal to him to break his fast for the sake of his family and the people who need him,” said Capt Fernandes.
The AAP leaders called on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take immediate action to address Naik’s demands and bring an end to his fast.
Capt Venzy Viegas said, “Premanand Naik who has spent his life serving the BJP, is now being ignored in his time of need. This is a man who gave his life to the BJP’s cause, and yet the government refuses to listen to him. Are BJP karyakartas only useful during election time?”
Cruz Silva pointed out that TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane had assured them that if illegalities were found, they would inspect the site and revoke the licence issued to the Bhutani project. Why is the TCP Department not acting firmly to revoke the permissions as assured by the Minister?” Silva demanded to know.
The AAP MLAs and leaders also confronted the Sancoale Panchayat Secretary Orville Vales and exhorted him to revoke his signatures put on the project approvals.
Appealing to Naik to withdraw his fast, Cortalim MLA Anton Vas, said, “I have done everything within my power including raising the matter in the Legislative Assembly and submitting the villagers’ memorandum to TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane. Now, it is crucial that the Sancoale Village Panchayat convenes a special meeting to revoke the construction licence. Legal opinion can follow, but the panchayat must act now and revoke the licence without delay.”
Meanwhile, late evening the police along with doctors visited Naik and checked his health condition even as a large number of villagers gathered there.