Goemkarponn desk
Mapusa: Pernem taluka is facing injustice and issues like sand mining that have been unresolved till date, said INDIA bloc’s North Goa Lok Sabha candidate of the Congress Party Adv Ramakant Khalap.
He said that the Pernem constituency is reserved for Scheduled Castes for the state assembly election. Yet, the sitting MP nor the state government have spoken on the injustice faced by this constituency, Khalap said, adding that “the taluka has been neglected, and it is facing a lot of issues.”
“For instance, people who have been working in the sand mining business in this taluka are affected. Many of them have been traditionally carrying out sand mining. While sanding mining activities have been permitted in the Mandovi and Zuari Rivers, there is no permission for this in the Terekhol River. This is due to the erosion of the river banks,” he highlighted.
“The stakeholders have urged the state government to maintain a balance between sand mining, agriculture and their livelihood. They want the government to identify certain spots to undertake sand mining. I feel that this demand is legitimate. The government should unveil a policy on sand mining. On the other hand, there is a huge demand for sand in the construction sector, and sand today is being sourced from outside the state. I urge the people to support the Congress so that this will allow us to raise this issue at the right forum,” he emphasised.
On the issue of farmers, Khalap said, “After the Mopa Airport was built, there was heavy siltation after mud and slush from the plateau flowed down into the fields in Poroscodem, Ameri, etc following the monsoon, thereby affecting agriculture. The people used to cultivate crops twice a year. This is the responsibility of the government. We demand that the government should direct the operator of the airport to clear all the silt from the fields. We will take up the issue of the farmers.
There were many Ganesh visarjan spots in the water bodies, now all these have been buried under silt. Let us fight this issue together, I will be with you and raise these issues in Parliament,” he stated.
