Sanguem: The villagers of Uguem accompanied by parents, students, panchayat members, Sarpanch Sanjay Parwar and Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar threatened the government with an agitation if the government fails to provide transport facility to the student community within next eight days.
This was decided at a meeting convened in the village today morning after the mining company who had graciously provided the free bus transport to the student community withdrew its buses with effect from January 02.
The withdrawal of bus service had put the students into great hardship with some being held up at their houses for want of bus facility.The scenario was worst after school hours as the students had to wait for long hours at the bus stand for buses to return.
The free bus service provided by the company had been of great benefit to over 200 students from the village, more particularly for those using from the interior villages as that of Darguinim, Chiraband, Ponsamoll and Uguem which lacks regular transport facility.
Speaking at the largely attended meeting at Uguem Junction, Sanguem MLA Prasad Gaonkar came down heavily on the government for the step motherly treatment meted out to Sanguem Constituency. Gaonkarsaid that since the time of being elected as MLA, he has been pursuing the issue of bus transportation facility with the government agencies including the Office of Chief Minister but to no avail.
Gaonkar claimed that he himself has provided around 14 buses in different parts of the constituency for the benefit of student community. The cost of running these buses is increasing by each passing day and it getting difficult to control the affairs, claimed Gaonkar.
Speaking further Gaonkar said the government is sitting with funds running over Rs 80 cores contributed by the mining companies towards DistrictMineral Foundation. The government could have well used these funds for providing bus facility to the student’s community. However, the Office of Collector who manages the fund directly claims the funds being cannot be used for bus transport facility thereby putting the students into great hardship.
The speakers at the meeting gave eight days’ time for the government to settle the issue failing which the villagers have threatened to lead an agitation to press for their demands.
Sarpanch Sanjay Parwar in his address thanked Radha Timblo for providing the bus transport facility in the village despite the mining ban in the year 2012. While all other companies stopped the free transport facility immediately after the mining ban, Radha Timblo continued with the service towards community even after six years of mining ban.
Meanwhile, immediately after the meeting, a delegation of villagers led by MLA Prasad Gaonkar, Sarpanch Sanjay Parwar and others met Radha Timblo in her Margao Office and appealed to continue the bus service for another eight days which was duly accepted by Timblo on humanitarian ground.
