UTAA blasts Govt, demands Govt jobs for Canacona mishap victims
ARVIND TENGSE, MARGAO | 14 January 2014 23:17 IST
UTAA leaders addressing the media
Tribal leaders of Goa have come down heavily on Manohar Parrikar government while demanding government service to the kin of the tribals who died in Canacona building collapse mishap.
United Tribals’ Association Alliance (UTAA), a body representing Gawada, Kunbi and Velip community of the state, today criticised the BJP government for exploiting them only during elections and paying lip service to their demands.
On the eve of forthcoming Lok Sabha election, UTAA president Prakash Velip today said they would wait till their18-month deadline expires on 31 January.
“We will decide our future course of action, if our demands are not met, while celebrating our decade-long existence in the state”, he said, addressing a press conference in Margao.
According to Velip, Rs two lakh compensation given to the kin of the deceased in Canacona building collapse mishap is not at all enough.
“They should get minimum Rs five lakh and a government job for at least one person from each family”, he demanded.
Among the 32 killed in the building collapse mishap are quite a few from the Velip community, from Gaodongri, Shristhal and Barshem, in Quepem and Canacona talukas.
Velip in fact demanded that the mishap be declared as a state tragedy and a thorough probe be conducted of the horrifying criminal incident.
Govind Gawade, another tribal leader of UTAA, congratulated government for implementing its assurance of granting 27per cent reservations to the Other Backward Classes.
“We thus expect also to meet our demand to grant 17 per cent reservations to the Scheduled Tribe”, he said.
He also warned chief minister Parrikar not to underestimate the tribals, stating that UTAA is not controlled by any political outfit.
He praised sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar, a former UTAA leader, for drafting good schemes for the tribals, but said most of these schemes are stuck at the level of financial approval.
the finance portfolio is held by chief minister Parrikar.
