New Delhi : Goa’s Congress MP Shantaram Naik has raised an alarm over “nationalisaion” of six rivers in his state by the Inland Waterways Authority of India under the National Waterways Act enacted in March. In an e-mail letter to Union Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, he sought an amendment in the Act to delete Goa’s six rivers from the schedule of 111 national waterways. He also welcomed Gadkari’s decision to cancel construction of a satellite port at Betul Goa respecting the public sentiments and take it elsewhere.
Zuari, Mandovi, Cumbarjua, Chapora, Sal and Mapusa/Moide rivers of Goa figure in the schedule that Naik wants amended. He said if the Centre were interested in developing the inland water transport in Goa, it should give financial aid to the state government to do so instead of “nationalising” the rivers. His concern is that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed by the Goa government with the Inland Waterways Authority will lead to the authority taking possession of substantial land on both sides of the rivers to build infrastructure of various types involving private parties under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and that will ruin the distinguished character of Goa.
Pointing out that all political parties in the state are opposed to this kind of “nationalisation” of the six rivers, Naik alleged that Goa chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar belonging to the BJP came under pressure of Gadkari and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was earlier chief minister, to clandestinely get the state cabinet”s approval for the rivers “nationalisation” and not disclose it in the media briefing.
He said even the ministers who attended the cabinet meeting did not realise its seriousness. He said the chief minister had also gone back on his promise on the floor of the Assembly to show the MoU draft to the MLAs before signing it with the Inland Waterways Authority.
