Panaji (Goa): Burning of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s effigy by Congress’ Mahila wing members over the contentious issue of national waterways has not gone down well with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Goa that called it a cheap publicity. 

A joint statement signed by BJP’s Mahila wing President Sulakshana Sawant and North Goa Zilla Panchaya President Ankita Navelkar  has condemned the act of the Opposition. “BJP strongly condemns the attitude of Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress President and her flock to use the issue of rivers for cheap publicity. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has already clarified through presentation, discussion in the Goa Legislative Assembly tat tripartite MoU between Central government, Government of Goa and MPT is for development of inland river transport and all concerns expressed by the people of Goa will be duly taken care of while implementing the MoU.

The BJP and the government is sensitive to the aspirations and the concerns of the people of Goa,” the press release said. 

A day ago Congress’ Mahila wing staged a protest against the government’s stand on ‘river nationalisation’ and burnt an effigy of Parrikar outside the Margao Municipality office. The party claims that Goa will lose all its rights and the rivers would be used for coal transportation, another issued which is being debated in the state. 

 Parrikar has been repeatedly said that the six rivers of Goa would be developed as National Waterways and denied it would be nationalised as claimed by certain section including Congress. Earlier this  month, the draft Memorandum of Understanding was also made public for discussion wherein CM explained the do’s and don’ts of signing the MoU. 

The draft copy has laid down five consequences if Goa does not enter into the MoU. It states that Indian Watwrways Authority of India (IWAI) Act will anyway be enforced and it would not make any difference to the IWAI powers. This means that clauses incorporated in the MoU, exclusively for Goa giving back all the powers, will not exist and IWAI will take over all the authority. 

Similarly, to set up any infrastructure in the riverine land, one will need two separate permissions from the CoP and the IWAI. If the tri partite MoU with IWAI and the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) is signed, permission only from CoP will serve the purpose. 

Team TNV