Panaji: The Aam Aadmi Party has urged the Chief Minister to compensate Tauktae cyclone hit Goan victims in a time bound/transparent and impartial manner.

Stating that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has failed to understand the suffering of the people of Goa, first due to COVID, then due to the lockdown, and now due to the cyclone, said the AAP convenor Rahul Mhambre on Monday adding that the Chief Minister must act fast in providing relief.

Mhambre asserted that the Chief Minister is quick to spend Rs 3 crores on a 2-hour programme under the pretext of the 60th Goa Liberation Day. He has no hesitation to sanction Rs 50 crores without due process for renovation of Kala Academy despite opposition by architects. But he has failed to provide even a rupee of compensation to those who have lost loved ones to COVID, or to those who have lost their income due to lockdown, or to those who have lost houses and crops to cyclone Tauktae.”

Stating that only announcements have been made about the damages due to the cyclone, Mhambre raised questions on the Chief Minister’s widely varying statements.

Expressing frustration over the wheels of bureaucracy moving at their own pace, Mhambre said that affected Goans are suffering on a daily basis, and at least interim relief should have been provided by now, adding that numerous requests for relief had been received by the party from all over Goa, Mhambre informed that local volunteers coordinated the supply of essential items such as food, medicines and groceries.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to compensate not just immediate losses but also include an allowance for future daily sustenance until the affected house-owners, fishermen and farmers were able to get back on their feet.

“Time is of the essence. The monsoon rains will only make things worse. The COVID situation also has added to the anguish of the people. The Chief Minister should make good on his promises immediately, and not wait to make a political event out of it,” Mhambre added.

He said that the state’s disaster management needs to be improved. Pointing out that cyclones are becoming more frequent on the West Coast of India, international expertise needs to be roped in from areas which are cyclone hotspots and have a tried and tested mechanism to deal with the same.