PONDA: Former PWD minister and Marcaim MLA Ramakrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar has said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant “is good in his works” and that he would support him for doing good works, but oppose him if he goes against the interest of Goa.
Interacting with the reporters on Wednesday, the Marcaim MLA said that he doesn’t know the reason for his removal from the State Cabinet.
“We fought against Subash Shirodkar on principle. MGP was against defection of MLAs since 2000, because it is a threat to democracy,” he said.
He said that he had received several offers from other parties to join them, but he did not betray the trust of his voters who elected him.
“On this issue, my stand is clear: whoever whether a Councillor, a Zilla Panchayat member or a party worker defects, should be banned from contesting election for six years,” he said
Speaking on local issues, he advised the government to repair the government primary schools and appoint more teachers for the benefit of the students.
He also advised the government to follow up on the STP plants at Curti, Undir as “sewerage is polluting water resources.”
Ex-PWD Minister on water shortage crisis
On water shortage, Dhavalikar said that when he was PWD minister he laid foundation stone for a new 27 MLD water treatment plant at Opa to meet the additional water requirement of the township at Kadamba plateau and Old Goa. He said that that was done with the cooperation of former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar.
He informed that a 27-MLD plant requires at least 54-MLD raw water, but Opa is already facing water shortage and to meet the requirement, measures need to be taken to increase its storage capacity.
He suggested laying pipeline for bringing water from Salaulim and trenchless technology for procuring water from mining pits.
The existing 140 MLD plants at Opa are facing water shortage during the summer months.
Revealing that only half of the 60-MLD water supplied from Salualim and Ganjem rivers reaches the Opa plant due to seepage and evaporation, he suggested laying direct pipeline of 15 km to prevent water seepage and evaporation.
On Sajivani Sugar Factory problems
On Sanjivani Sugar Factory issue, he said that the government should revive the factory “which is running in loss due to mismanagement of few people and also due to old machinery.”
Calling the factory as the backbone of the farmers from Sattari, Sanguem, Bicholim and Savordem, he said that in 2005, the government had planned for its revival and modernisation of machinery and this should be done with the help of the Union Ministry.
