Goemkarponn desk
Panaji – The widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Tauktae has paralysed life in Goa and added to the woes of people in the testing times of Covid pandemic. Cyclone Tauktae has proved that the Disaster Management of the BJP Government headed by Dr. Pramod Sawant is dead, charged Congress General Secretary Amarnath Panjikar.
He aaid that braving the odds, Electricity Department and Fire Service Department employees have done outsatnding job trying to reach out to people and help.
“We congratulate all those who have done their duty in helping people,” Amarnath Panjikar said.
He said the Power Minister Nilesh Cabral has no moral right to continue and must step down immediately. He has failed to perform his duty as minister.
“PWD Minister Dipak Pauskar is not traceable as people are struggling to get drinking water. BJP Government has added to the miseries of the common people. Farmers have incurred huge losses due to damage to crops, but Agriculture Minister Babu Kavlekar is not seen on the field. He must be busy in sending videos from his cell phone,” stated Amarnath Panjikar.
He says there is absolutely nothing in place in Goa to handle emergency situations. Most of the North Goa is in darkness for almost three days now with Electricity Department staff battling hard to restore power supply.
It is shocking to see that the power department staff are not provided with basic equipments to work on restoration of electricity, stated Amarnath Panjikar.
Electricity Department is suffering from paralysis with no man power, no vehicles, non availaibity of ladders, cranes and other electrical equipments and raw material. There are no electricity poles available in stock to replace those which collapsed in the cyclone.
Power Minister Nilesh Cabral did not take lessons from the fatal accident which had occured at Borim to a a truck carrying electric poles causing loss of lives. Electricity Department staff are compelled to work without any safety gears risking their own lives. One of the linesman who got a shock and fell at Porvorim was taken to hospital by local social workers as there was no government vehicle available, stated Amarnath Panjikar.
