VALPOI: It’s been nearly six months since the floods affected the residents of Sattari taluka. However, the residents of Kankire, who were badly hit by the floods, have been rendered homeless till date.
On July 23, last year floods hit the State, especially in Sattari region, wherein several villagers lost their livelihood and were rendered homeless as their houses collapsed in the natural disaster.
Valpoi MLA and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had visited the Kankire village to take the stock of the situation. Rane had assured to rebuild the houses of those people who were rendered homeless within a month.
The locals claimed that it’s almost six months, the local MLA has failed in his promise to build a single house in Kankire till date. In all three houses had collapsed in Kankire during the floods which occurred on July 23 last year.
The people whose houses had collapsed received Rs two lakh as compensation from the government while those residents whose houses had developed cracks got Rs one lakh.
The locals said by compensating us with Rs one-two lakh, we cannot construct a new house. The construction material is expensive. The cost of laterite stones per trip is Rs 13,000, sand trip Rs 25,000 and the cement price is Rs 415 per bag.
The flood affected people from Kankire village have questioned the present BJP government how can they build a two-room house with Rs one or two lakh?
The Rotary Club had donated Rs two lakh to each family in all talukas, who lost their houses in the 2021 floods, except Sattari. The then Sattari Mamlatdar Dashrath Gawas, who is now the Tiswadi Mamlatdar did not submitted a detailed report to the Rotary Club, despite several reminders from Chief Minister’s Office and the North Goa Collector office, the locals claimed.
Gawas did not visit the village for inspection and refused to send the flood reports to Rotary Club.
The locals complained that Gawas always treated flood-affected people badly. The locals claimed that they had complained to the higher authorities against him several times however no action was initiated against him as he is very close to the Valpoi MLA.
“We have elected the Rane father-son duo as our local representatives since past several decades. Both have amassed wealth in Goa and other States. The Health Minister has been involved in scams in the health sector during the first and second COVID-19 wave reported in the State. Enough is enough, we will now teach Vishwajit Rane a lesson in upcoming Assembly polls,” the locals pledged.
“Our MLA had promised us that he would build our houses within a month, now its past six months. Our MLA has failed to build the houses. Also we are doing a follow up on this matter with the panch. The local MLA is not ready to listen to our grievances. He is playing with our feelings and emotions,” claimed Santosh Gawde, a villager.
An elderly woman Yashoji Gawde from Kankire said, “Several people from across the state came forward to help us and were also ready to construct our houses. The panch and the local MLA pressurised and forced us not to take any help from anyone. Rane told them that he will construct the houses with his own money. Now it’s six months, our MLA has not done anything and he is not ready to meet us. We have visited him several times at his Dona Paula residence. He has refused to meet us.”
