Residents of Bethoda, Nirankal, Codar in Shiroda Go Without Water For Weeks During Summer: Free Water Promise By BJP Is A Joke

SHIRODA: It is a known fact that residents of Bethoda, Nirankal, Codar and several parts of Ponda and Shiroda constituencies do not get drinking water for weeks at a stretch during the summer months.

“This has been going on for years now and no relief is forthcoming. The sitting MLA Subhash Shirodkar was earlier with the Congress and is now with the BJP. Both the parties in spite of being in power for years have not been able to solve the problems of the people of Shiroda and Ponda constituencies. Sanguem and parts of Savordem also face acute water shortage during the summer months. In the light of these problems, the ruling party promising free water to Goans is like saying if they don’t have bread let them eat cake, Espy Costa of Borim village near Ponda and a founder-member of the Goa People’s Forum (GPF) said in a press note issued on Thursday.

Residents of the above-mentioned areas have time and against pointed out and protested the acute water scarcity, with almost no water for weeks during summer, unemployment and financial problems as the main issues plaguing the area and lamented that successive MLAs of different governments have done nothing over the last 12 years to solve the basic problems of the locality.

Swati Shilpa Sharma a media personality and actor-director who is shooting a short film on the tribal life in Nirankal forests, said that the water problem and unemployment is a major issue in the area.

Other problems include very irregular electric supply to most parts of the constituency, no street lights, zero maintenance of roads with potholes and rough roads dotting the entire landscape and very bad mobile connectivity with absolutely no mobile network in places like Bethoda, Nirankal, Panchwadi and parts of Karai, Nuvem-based Priyanka D’souza and secretary of the Goa People’s Forum said.

The Goa People’s Forum rubbished the promise of the Goa CM of promising free water to the people of the State.

“In several parts of Goa, there are no tap connections and in others parts, the taps are dry for the two months of April and May. The promise of free water is nothing but an election gimmick. First give us water and then talk about free water,” Costa said.