After the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that if his government if voted to power, they would give Goans 300 units of free electricity. The announcement met mixed reactions from Goans; some praised the move while some criticised, but the Chief Minister, in a knee-jerk response, announced that his government would give 16000 litres of free water to every household.
We call it a knee-jerk reaction simply because he reacted in a hurry to a party that was a non-entity in Goa till that time. The party did not have any MLAs, and despite that, he feared the people would start supporting the party.
But he forgot Kejriwal has delivered what he had promised in Delhi.
In the bargain, the Chief Minister forgot his capacities and capabilities.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
In the last two and half years, we have seen that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has made several promises to the Goans, but most of the time, even after the deadlines are over, the promises are not fulfilled.
After the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that if his government if voted to power, they would give Goans 300 units of free electricity. The announcement met mixed reactions from Goans; some praised the move while some criticised, but the Chief Minister, in a knee-jerk response, announced that his government would give 16000 litres of free water to every household.
We call it a knee-jerk reaction simply because he reacted in a hurry to a party that was a non-entity in Goa till that time. The party did not have any MLAs, and despite that, he feared the people would start supporting the party.
But he forgot Kejriwal has delivered what he had promised in Delhi.
In the bargain, the Chief Minister forgot his capacities and capabilities.
To provide 16000 litres of free water, the Sawant government must first supply 16000 litres of water to the Goan houses.
Thousands of houses in Goa, be it Sattari taluka, Quepem taluka, Sanguem taluka and the tourist destination, Bardez taluka, are reeling under acute water shortage.
They do have taps, but they are of no use as there is no water. The present protest in Calangute, Verem and today at Anjuna reveal how the people are suffering from a water shortage.
The BJP workers and leaders would be quick to criticise me, saying the protests are politically motivated, but friends, “I too am a Bardezkar”, and I know the water situation there.
People in the area do not want your largesse of free water; what people want is a regular water supply and not even 24×7 water. That is a distant dream for them. Give proper 2-3 hours of supply first before making big announcements.
Moreover, Sawant has also gone ahead and announced that Goa is the first State to have achieved the Har Ghar Jal deadline. Isn’t this some kind of a joke, Mr Sawant?
To give proper water supply, why does the Sawant government not streamline the supply?
Why does the government not decide to bring about a moratorium on new licences for big residential projects and hotels? That would solve major of the water and power woes of the State. But no, Sawant won’t do it because these big hotel and residential projects are from influential people from Gujarat and Delhi, who directly connect with the BJP top brass, and how can Sawant decline to grant permission to his boss’ friends?
Similar is the story of Sawant’s other promise on roads.
He had promised Goa a pothole-free road travel post-November 1. It is November 10 today, and Mr Sawant, I can still show you 100s of potholes in Bardez itself.
One has to understand that if they cannot fulfil the promises, they must not make it in the first place.
The CM, by making such false or fake promises, is losing his credibility ahead of elections, which is not only detrimental for himself but also for the party.