Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa unit of the Shiv Sena on Sunday lashed out at the ruling party and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar accusing him of taking a U- turn in giving truck drivers a Rs 102 crore relief package since the closure of mines.
The minister had during the legislative assembly assured that Rs 102 crore from the budget had been earmarked for them and that disbursement of the money was underway. Since members of the All Goa Truck Drivers Association didn’t receive any money, the 7,000 drivers began protests and strikes around the state asking that at least Rs 2.5 lakh be given to drivers to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
Speaking to media persons, party president Ajeetsing Rane said, “the government has back tracked on their own promises and Parsekar is now taking a U-turn in giving the monetary help to those in need.”
Rane said that Parsekar had earlier promised a sum of Rs 102 crore to be given to truck drivers affected by the closure of the mines but had earlier this month denied to have made any statement of the sort.
He also pointed fingers at the supposed start of mining in the state. “Though two mines have been said to have started earlier last month, the CM has himself said there can be no excavation taking place. How then can he say that mining has begun?” said Rane.
The party also raised the question of the land being considered to be earmarked for future mining.
They said the future of agricultural and forest land was at stake and that instead of protecting the “mining mafia” they should have the interests of the people and workers.
They also demanded that there be proper auctioning of the mines paying close attention to the renewing of leases.
