PANJIM: Former Chief Minister and Navelim MLA Luizinho Faleiro on Thursday said that the Major Port Authorities Act 2021 was a disastrous legislation and must be repealed if the identity of Goa is to be protected.
Addressing the media, Faleiro alleged that the Government of India by passing the ‘draconian’ Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, has acted against the interest of Goa and Goans and compromised the interest of the State by making nine State laws – Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act and the Regional Plan or Outline Development Plans (ODPs), Goa Municipalities Act, Goa Panchayati Raj Act, Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations 2010 and Goa Land Revenue Code – redundant.
“Our Constitution guarantees a federal polity and the Central government is clearly working overtime to trample upon this sanctified Constitutional premise by enacting laws like the one of the instant case to override the State laws and make them redundant thus making it clear that the Union government wants to run the State by sitting in Delhi much to the detriment to Goa. Sadly the BJP-led State government has surrendered itself to their party leaders in Delhi and their crony capitalist friends who are working overtime to destroy our State,” he said.
The Congress leader demanded that Union Minister of State for Ports, Shripad Naik, who is also the North Goa MP, must prevail upon the Union government to repeal the law. “I am totally opposed to the Major Port Authorities Act as it is against Goa and Goans and since the same undermines our State, our identity and our character, I feel strongly that the law must be repealed without any further delay in the interest of our
State,” he said.
The former Chief Minister was also critical of the three Goan MPs. “We have three MPs, two in Lok Sabha and one in Rajya Sabha, but it was shocking that they did not raise their voice against the Bill although one is a Minister,” he said.
“My first appeal to three MPs is to explain to Goans what is their role and if they have no role then immediately get this Act cancelled,” Faleiro said adding, “We don’t want an Act when our panchayat and municipalities will have to approach to Delhi (Centre), who will decide without even consulting the local-self bodies.”
Faleiro also called upon village panchayats, zilla panchayats (ZPs) and municipal councils to convene their gram sabhas and special meetings and oppose the law, which has the potential of usurping the powers of the local authorities.
Faleiro also called upon the Goa government and more particularly Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, to lead an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister to press the need to repeal the Act, which would otherwise destroy Goa and its landscape.
The Navelim MLA rued that his question regarding implications of the Major Ports Bill on the land and water resources was changed to unstarred question in the just concluded Legislative Assembly due to which he could not raise the question for oral answers and also could not ask supplementary questions.
Faleiro said that Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar in his reply to the question had stated that the Goa government has opposed the Major Port Authorities Bill and that a letter has been sent by the Revenue Department to the Ministry of Shipping, New Delhi to reconsider the Bill. The Minister has further stated that the concerns raised by the MLAs have also been brought to the notice of the Union Minister for Shipping vide letter dated June 17, 2021.
The irony is that Kavlekar, who holds the TCP portfolio had stated further that the Goa government has yet not received any reply from the Union government, Faleiro said, adding that it is thus clear that the Act has torn into the federal nature of administrative set-up.
