VASCO: Goa Forward Party president and MLA Vijai Sardesai on Friday said that the Mormugao taluka was on the brink of a health disaster due to coal transportation and had a bleak future with gambling and extortion activities thriving in the town.
After interacting with the citizens of Vasco, Sardesai said that he will take up issues concerning the people in the ensuing monsoon session of the Goa Assembly. He said that Mormugao taluka was not getting justice despite having ruling BJP MLAs, who added, had assured people to stop coal transportation but did nothing and betrayed the people. He cautioned that the Mormugao taluka was on the brink of a health disaster and is sitting on a ticking time bomb due to lack of planning.
He said that there was an administrative mess and the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) seems to be the owner of the State and hafta collection had become the order of the day. He charged that there were instances of MLAs demanding money to clear cargo in the port and movement of cargo was stopped for not giving money to the legislator. The transporter involved in movement of cargo was a Goan but he was replaced by an outsider because of hafta and now only an extortion industry was thriving in the taluka, he charged.
The Fatorda MLA said that spree of cutting of trees will lead to rise in lung diseases due to pollution caused by coal transportation. After inspecting the dilapidated Kharewado jetty, he said that traditional fishermen have been finished as they are harassed by fishermen from Malpe and there were no signs of repairing the jetty. He said that the government had also stopped subsidy to trawler owners.
He said that rampant gambling had ruined the youth as they were getting addicted to the vices. He said that some policemen are posted in the port town for the last 20 years and they had become tenants of the Vasco police station.
Sardesai said that he will raise all the issues during the Assembly session and the opposition will fight unitedly to bring back the port town and taluka to its past glory.
