Churchill for all-party meet on projects BY HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 4 – PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has favoured an all-party meeting to discuss the opposition brewing up against development projects across the State. Alemao told Herald on Saturday that he has requested Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat to convene an all-party meeting to discuss threadbare the ongoing opposition against development projects in certain parts of the state. “The government should take the views and opinions of all the political parties before setting out the agenda on the people’s opposition. There ought to be a dividing line on the question of development works and protection of the environment and ecology”, he said. According to him, development works should not be allowed to be hampered in any manner because of opposition to certain projects. “Let the all political party meet discuss the issue thread be and come out with an agenda”, he said. In Alemao’s Navelim constituency, people of Carmona had opposed the mega housing project mooted by Mumbai-based Rahejas, forcing the village Panchayat to recall the file from the Town and Country Planning department. Moreover, people of Orlim had raised a banner of protest against a road construction through a paddy field, prompting the gram Sabha to oppose the road project. Meanwhile, the PWD Minister has warned department engineers and road contractors to ensure quality work or face stern action. Alemao warned that guilty engineers will be placed under suspension if the road work turns out substandard, adding that erring contractors would be blacklisted for compromising on quality. The PWD Minister said his department has taken up road works around Rs 150 crore this year, adding that remaining works would be completed depending on the monsoons. “We would like to take up hot mixing works costing Rs 50 crore before the onset of monsoons. But, it all depends on the rains”, he added.
-- Question everything -- Karl Marx
