Team Herald
PANJIM: Billed as a celebration of the Opinion Poll Day (January 16), people, organisations and activists had planned to gather in large numbers and speak on an issue that concerns all Goans- the diversion of Mhadei water in the Chief Minister’s constituency- Sankhali.
Permission for the gathering was issued by the Sankhali Municipal Council to applicant Aditya Bhange on January 9. Among the 10 conditions stated was to ensure the smooth flow of traffic by planning the same with the Traffic Cell.
48 hours later the permission was revoked on the grounds that there would be traffic congestion since it was a ‘Weekly Market’ day.
Very interestingly Rajesh Sawal, Chairperson, Sankhali Municipal Council slammed the decision of his own Chief Officer who revoked the permission. “Sankhali Municipal Council has no problem in issuing permission for Opinion Poll Celebrations meeting on the theme Save Mhadei Save Goa. We don’t understand under whose pressure Chief Officer has withdrawn the permission. CO has to explain to the people of Goa. We are with the people of Goa to protect Mother Mhadei,” Sawal said.
Activists and concerned citizens from across the State were gearing up to attend the mega rally organised under the banner of `Save Mhadei Save Goa Front’ to protest against Mhadei diversion by Karnataka and to demand the immediate withdrawal of approval granted by the Central Water Commission to Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Kalasa-Bandura dam project.
Sankhali Municipal Council Chief Officer Kabir Shirgaonkar in his letter stated that the permission for the meeting on January 16 has been revoked on account of possibility of traffic congestion and commotion on the week Sankhali Bazaar day, which is held in the adjoining open spaces of the municipal ground.
Shirgaonkar also claimed that a representation has been received by the Sankhali Municipal Council office from the Sakhali Vyapari Sanghatana on Thursday, expressing their concern of the possible crowd and traffic congestion on the day of weekly bazaar due to mass meeting, which coincides on the same day thereby causing inconvenience to the public at large.
