Albert Fernandes | NT
CANACONA: Except reaping the benefits of welfare schemes launched by the state government especially for women, Canacona taluka was deprived of major development works for the last five years. Unemployment, healthcare woes, shortage of water, inadequate power supply and garbage problem continues to haunt people with successive governments failing to address their woes.
A number of well-educated youth are waiting for government jobs. Over thousand have enrolled their names with employment exchange and continue to answer interviews. The list is growing every passing year.
Water scarcity prevails in almost all parts of the constituency particularly in summer months. It’s a case of a lot of water but nothing to use as Chapoli dam in Canacona holds a lot of water. It is said that the pipeline which was laid some fifteen years back is corroded and needs replacement.
Sports infrastructure is also far from satisfactory though Tawadkar was the Sports Minister. The upgraded Canacona community health centre lacks a full-time doctor.
The proposed IIT atop Bhagvati Plateau in Loliem village panchayat jurisdiction which hogged limelight for the wrong reasons is another important issue this election. Whether it will have any bearing on BJP candidate Vijay Pai Khot’s election prospects is a million dollar question.
The garbage issue is another problem while stray cattle menace has not invited attention of any successive governments and still inconveniences people. While garbage is being collected, a proper treatment system is not in place. Presently garbage is being dumped at the garbage dumping site-cum-treatment plant at Dumanem which is crying for attention from concerned authority.
With Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fighting its first election in state, Canacona is expected to see a triangular fight between the BJP, Congress and Independent Ramesh Tawadkar. The MGP also has no foothold in Canacona.
This time, there are 33,236 voters of which 16,818 are females and 16,418 males. In all, there will be 56 booths. Municipality areas have 10,015 voters, Poinguinnim panchayat area has 5,345 voters, Loliem-Polem has 4628 voters, Shristhal has 4,036 voters, Gaondongrem has 3,900 voters, Agonda 3264 voters, and Cotigao constitutes 2,048 voters.
Former Poinguinnim MLA Isidore Fernandes had lost to Tawadkar in 2012 by more than 2,000 votes. He had polled 11,624 votes while Tawadkar had polled 14,328 votes. The Trinamool Congress candidate had polled 637 votes. In total, 26,589 votes were polled then after the two constituencies of Poinguinnim and Canacona were merged into one – Canacona constituency.
If Remy Borges, a worker and supporter of BJP for the last 17 years, who recently quit the BJP to join Isidore group, is to be believed, Medium of Instruction issue will also play a major role.
Govind Bhongo, a former panch of Shristhal said after the BJP came to power in 2012, a lot of promises were made to the people of the taluka and particularly to the ST community like every ST community household would get Rs 2 lakh for house construction which just remained a distant dream.
He said that Mushifond-Amonem has witnessed a lot of development. He however said that ST community badly needs Bal Rath bus service as children from Asali, Nuem and Vaizwada are forced to walk kilometres on foot. He said that the new medical scheme started sometime back is benefiting the public.
Ramu D Naik, a businessman said that umpteen power outages give nightmares to the residents particularly during the rainy season. Some of the transformers have outlived their utility and despite number of houses increasing, no upgradation of infrastructure has been done, he added.
Dilip Kenkre, a former Canacona councillor, who has pledged support to Isidore citing various reasons, said the Chaudi ward got the beautification proposal passed including pavers, gutters, lighting, interior roads etc but when the work needed a push Tawadkar did nothing adding, “He neglected the community health centre.”
Shanta Tubki, a BJP supporter, who is now supporting Vijay Pai Khot, said that the BJP was sidelined by Tawadkar which means that those who supported Pai Khot were sidelined.