NIVRUTTI SHIRODKAR
PERNEM
Pednekars dreams of having an IT Park in Pernem taluka have came crashing down after the land acquired by the IT department at Tuem for Electronic City has been dominated by laterite stone quarries with political backing.
The local Congressmen have sought the intervention of IT Minister Rohan Khaunte in the matter to act against the controversial laterite stone quarries operating in government land.
According to reports, 1.5 years ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the corner stone for an Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Tuem and the Airport at Mopa at Shyama Prasad Mukherji Stadium, Bambolim.
While work on the Mopa airport has already commenced, the government is yet to undertake construction of the Tuem EMC.
With the authorities neglecting the project, the stone quarry mafia have taken this as a golden opportunity to expand their business.
GSIDC has already constructed a 20 meters wide road leading to the proposed land, and the only ones benefiting from this are the stone quarry operators.
In a bid to stop the quarrying activities, a delegation of Congress youth leader Sachin Parab, Tuem Sarpanch Nilesh Kandolkar, panch Suhas Naik and former panch Uday Naik recently visited Khaunte.
“We have discussed the issue of Tuem EMC with Khaunte. We welcome the pollution free project in Mandrem but jobs should be given to the locals,” said Congress youth leader Sachin Parab, adding, “The project should be undertaken after taking panchayat and locals into confidence. Those who lost their land should be duly compensated.”
“I doubt whether the government has acquired the land for the project or not. The government also failed to compensate mundkars who lost their land to the road construction leading to the proposed site,” said former Tuem panch Uday Parab.
Former CM Laxmikant Parsekar had planned this project with the intention of bringing employment to Pernem. However, the project faced constant objection with locals demanding basic facilities such as electricity, water and roads in the village first. After, Parsekar faced defeat in 2017, the project was stranded.
