Senior citizen inaugurates 'Asmitai Zagor' to snub minister's plans to take credit

MARGAO: In a snub to town and country planning (TCP) minister Vijai Sardesai's efforts to take credit for the golden jubilee celebrations of the Opinion Poll concluding on Tuesday, a senior citizen on Monday cut the ribbon of the foundation stone of the "Asmitai Zagor" to be inaugurated by chief minister Manohar Parrikar in Fatorda.
The senior citizen was among the group of protestors who vociferously condemned the Goa BJP-led coalition government's Opinion Poll celebrations while ignoring public opinion being expressed on the coal imports and the nationalisation of the six Goan rivers.

Protestors holding black flags and placards displaying their firm opposition to coal and river nationalisation staged a protest demonstration near the Margao Old Market-Colva circle.

Jose Maria Miranda, an activist, told TOI that "this was a protest meeting held as the government is acting against the wishes of the Goans. What celebrations of Goan identity are we talking about when the state government is busy destroying Goa? There have been Gram Sabha resolutions passed throughout Goa against the coal import and river nationalisation," he said.

"Moreover, the Colva circle cannot be called as an 'Opinion Poll Square' and the so called 'Cultural Avenue' is being built without any bus bays or provisions made for halting a vehicle by the roadside in an emergency situation posing a grave danger to the lives of pedestrians. I am not against footpaths but what was the need for such a wide footpath when broader roads are required? Who was the bondo (small coconut) engineer or politician who created this design creating traffic chaos and unnecessary wasteful expenditure from the public exchequer? Since the tiles put on the pavements were removed to lay the underground cabling resulting in double work. Is it the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) or the TCP minister Sardesai?" he asked.