In a candid admission, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated on Friday that the people of Goa have endured hardships as a consequence of the state's swift industrial growth and the influx of migrant workers. He described these challenges as unavoidable "side effects" of development that the state had to bear.
Acknowledging the Cost of Progress
Speaking at the Goa Legislators Day event, Sawant did not shy away from addressing the concerns raised by former lawmakers about Goa's current trajectory. "The state had to bear some side effects because of the development. I won't deny this," the Chief Minister asserted. He elaborated that the significant rise in industrial activities and migration had indeed caused suffering for the local population, a point he expressed without hesitation.
Sawant pointed out that alongside the booming tourism sector, other industries also expanded rapidly. This growth, he noted, led to an increased entry of migrant labour, which subsequently created a variety of socio-economic and infrastructural problems within the coastal state.
An Unwavering Stand on the Mhadei River Dispute
Amid these reflections, CM Sawant delivered a firm and unequivocal commitment regarding the ongoing Mhadei river water dispute. He assured that his government would not permit Karnataka to divert water from the Mhadei river basin under any circumstances.
This pledge came as a direct response to a fervent appeal made by Nirmala Sawant, convenor of the Mhadei Bachao Andolan and a former MLA, who urged the government to strengthen its efforts in the legal battle. Karnataka has been seeking to divert water from the Mhadei for its Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project, a move consistently opposed by Goa on grounds that it would critically harm the state's water security and ecological balance.
"My government is firm in the matter of Mhadei. Under no circumstances will my government allow water from Mhadei to be diverted. I am personally monitoring this case," Sawant declared, reinforcing his administration's stance.
Addressing Land Conversion and Grabbing Concerns
Beyond the water dispute, the Chief Minister also highlighted proactive measures taken by his government to address growing anxieties about agricultural land conversion and land grabbing. He announced that a specific law has been enacted to prevent the conversion of agricultural land for other purposes.
"My government took a lot of positive steps in the matter of land and Mhadei. We brought in a law to prevent agricultural land from being converted. Agricultural land will not be converted henceforth," Sawant stated, outlining a policy shift aimed at preserving Goa's agrarian landscape and protecting it from unchecked real estate and commercial development.
The Chief Minister's comprehensive address at the Legislators Day forum thus wove together an acknowledgment of past developmental pains with firm assurances on two of Goa's most pressing contemporary issues: water rights and land protection.
