KARWAR: Minister for Fisheries, Science and Technology, Anand Asnotikar, has said that a separate gram panchayat should be formed for the development of three rehabilitation centres for the displaced families of the Seabird Naval Project at Todur, Mudga and Harward.Asnotikar told reporters here on Tuesday that he would send a proposal to the government and try to convince it to consider it.Presently, these centres are attached to Amdalli and Harwad gram panchayatsAsnotikar said the these panchayats lacked funds for maintenance of the rehabilitation centres, including electricity supply, drinking water and maintenance of roads.Therefore, the rehabilitation centres should have a separate gram panchayat, he argued.Asnoitkar said that the families displaced because of the project were yet to get proper compensation.Cases relating to the payment of compensation were still pending in court.He said he would lead a delegation to Defence Minister A K Antony either next month or in October, to get justice for the evacuees.The minister said that the Centre would be urged not to acquire land on Karwar beach to build the Coast Guard station.Already the State Chief Secretary had held a high-level meeting in this regard.He said it has been a practice for over 40 years to mine the sand from the Kali river bed and transport the same to Goa.However, this practice was stopped by the government last year on the grounds that interstate transportation of sand had been banned.Further, Coastal Regulation Zone rules also came in the way. He said the Centre had been urged to relax CRZ rules and allow sand mining in the river and he hoped that it would commence again shortly.
Comments
0 comment