Panaji: St Andre AAP leader Professor Ramrao Wagh, in a press conference at the AAP office in Panaji, thanked AAP MLAs Cruz Silva and Venzy Viegas for raising crucial issues of St Andre in the Goa Assembly. He praised the MLAs for highlighting illegalities and environmental violations that were otherwise being ignored, not just in their constituencies but also in St Andre.
Wagh criticized local MLA Viresh Borkar for selectively taking up only a few matters while neglecting serious issues affecting the constituency. Using replies to Legislative Assembly Questions (LAQs) filed by MLA Cruz Silva, Wagh exposed lapses in governance and regulatory failures.
Among the matters raised were the construction of a protection wall at Bambolim beach by a five-star hotel under the guise of safeguarding property, illegal megahousing projects in Curca and Azossim-Mandur destroying green cover, and repeated collapse of a ₹80-lakh retaining wall at Santan soon after completion. Wagh alleged complicity of GCZMA, TCP, and Curca Panchayat in granting fraudulent permissions and highlighted shocking discrepancies in expert committee reports, including misidentifying River Zuari as River Mandovi.
He also pointed to irregularities in the construction of an overhead water tank in Nhavshi, which he claimed was being diverted to serve a nearby megahousing project instead of the village residents. Additionally, he flagged corruption in road repairs worth ₹5 crores carried out during the exposition of St. Francis Xavier’s relics.
Wagh further exposed illegal constructions in forest areas of Azossim-Mandur, where house numbers and power connections were granted despite violations. A Gramsabha held on August 24 has since decided to revoke one such house number. He alleged that large tracts of private forest were being illegally converted into plots and marketed as senior citizens’ homes, with occupancy certificates being issued overnight.
Accompanied by St Andre Panch Rajshri Chari, Wagh questioned the silence of MLA Borkar on these illegalities and reiterated his gratitude to AAP MLAs Cruz Silva and Venzy Viegas for standing up for St Andre and Goa.
