Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar on Wednesday rejected claims by Minister Sudin Dhavalikar that the Congress government had submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for the expansion of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
Patkar said that between 2007 and 2012, the Congress government had “categorically opposed” the MPT expansion project, which he described as being designed purely for coal transportation and “a grave threat to Goa’s environment and identity.”
“It is highly unfortunate that Shri Sudin Dhavalikar is now attempting to misguide Goans. He himself was a Cabinet Minister in the same government, which stood firmly against coal transportation. I challenge him to produce the so-called DPR,” Patkar said in a statement.
He added that the Congress has never supported coal transportation through Goa and has always opposed projects imposed on people without their consent.
Taking aim at the ruling BJP, Patkar accused the party of “double standards” on MPT expansion. “BJP behaves like a hypocrite party, misleading Goans with one jumla after another while pushing destructive projects,” he said.
Patkar reaffirmed Congress’s commitment to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Goans in protecting the state’s environment, identity, and future generations.
