PONDA: Former Chief Minister Ravi Naik opined that all of Goa, and not just Panjim, should have been selected for the smart city project, under which crores of rupees will be sanctioned by the Central government. He reasoned that Goa, when compared to other states in India, was tiny and more like a major city.
Questioning the inclusion of only Panjim in the smart city list, Naik stated, “Development is yet to reach every corner of Goa. Every taluka has cities that need basic infrastructure, and people should see the fruits of development.”
Naik further stated that there was no major difference between rural and urban areas in Goa. He claimed that the people who came from across Goa to their workplaces in Panjim outnumbered the residents. Therefore, instead of wasting energy and money on developing Panjim, the same should be spent for the development of Goa. He called it the ideal concept for development. He added, “Goans and the government should prove to the Central government that Goa is like a cosmopolitan city.”
Naik further stated that when he was chief minister, he had stressed on implementing the Tenancy and Mundkar Act, but the government had recently forced tenants to approach the court. He said, “In traditional joint families, family members would argue about who would hold the title after the head of family died. The issue of how to share the property among them was not resolved on time. The tenants are still trying to get sanads of land that they are cultivating.”
He advised the OBCs to collectively fight for Mundkarial rights.
He further stated that if OBCs collectively fight, they had a greater chance of getting justice under the Mundkar Act.
The communities should demand that the jurisdiction for entertaining mundkarial cases be handed restored to the mamlatdar as it was earlier.
He also stressed on creating a third district out of Ponda, which he said would help people from the surrounding talukas. He stated, “I had moved a file in this regard in 2011, when the Digambar Kamat government was ruling, but it could not be implemented.”
He added that Ponda should be developed as the cultural taluka of Goa, as earlier declared by the government.
Naik also demanded a judicial probe in the Luis Berger bribery scam. He stated, “Those who are guilty should be punished, and the government should not focus on taking revenge against any politician. The probe should be neutral.”
