PANJIM: The Maharashtra Water Resources Minister, Mr Sunil Tatkare on Monday said Goa should honour the interstate agreement and provide jobs to the 630 people who have been affected by the Tillari dam project.
Addressing a press conference in Panjim on Monday evening after holding talks with his Goa counterpart, Mr. Felipe Neri Rodrigues, Mr Tatkare said that Goa has failed to honour the interstate agreement on rehabilitating the PAP even though other provisions of the agreement have been adhered to.
Mr Tatkare recalled that under the agreement both the states had agreed to 73-27 water-sharing besides bearing the cost and also providing rehabilitation to the affected people. He informed that 1236 people have been affected by the project in 11 villages of which 869 people have been identified as eligible for rehabilitation under the Maharashtra Rehabilitation Act 1976.
Mr Tatkare said the Maharashtra government has on its part provided jobs to 204 people while Goa has to adhere to its commitment and provide jobs to the remaining 630 people.
He said that Mr Rodrigues assured the Maharashtra delegation that he would discuss the matter with the Goa Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat on the issue and get back to them.
The minister observed that Goa should put some proposal before the Maharashtra government so that there would an amicable solution to the long-pending issue. He also said that his government has also put forward a proposal of providing a onetime settlement offer to the oustees considering that Goa is a very small state and there may not be sufficient jobs.
Informing that the Maharashtra government has reserved 5 per cent of government jobs for various project-affected people in that state, Mr Tatkare suggested that Goa too should consider such a policy or come out with a time-bound roadmap to address the issue.
The Maharashtra Water Resources Minister also said that he would take up the matter with his Chief Minister so that it could be discussed at chief ministerial level.
The Sawantwadi MLA, Mr Deepak Kesarkar also accompanied the minister during the meeting, while the Goa Chief Secretary, Mr S S Srivastava along with senior officials of the water resources department attended the meeting.
When the real Goans are unemployed or have to pay exhorbitant amounts like how Pandurang Madkaikar demands, a system started by the molester Dayanant Narvekar, why should Goa go to employ Maharashtra ghanttis? Let them go to hell. Better still tell them to commit suicide in Tillari dam water and roam about as ghosts catching the neck of all the ministers of Goa.
ReplyDeleteTillari Irrigation Project is one of the 3 blunders committed by Shri Churchill Alemao while he was the Chief Minister of Goa for 15 days. This uneducated person or should I say animal signed the Tillari project without going through it. The agreement also mentions that we should rehabilitate the affected people of Maharashtra into Goa. I mean hundreds of large families. I hope Churchill will put some of them in his recently acquired properties. I remember him telling the people proudly that Chief Ministers job is very simple - he only has to sign. I wish he had signed his death warrant.
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