Margao – On this sacred Monday, I offer prayers to Lord Dambab, not just for divine intervention but for protection. Margao is once again under threat, not from a natural calamity but from a government determined to repeat past blunders in the name of “development.” I pray for strength for every Madganvkar to rise and resist this betrayal. Madganv will not be surrendered silently, stated Madganvcho Awaaz and Youth Leader Prabhav Naik.
Let us not forget what Panaji has suffered in the name of becoming a “Smart City.” In 2024 alone, four lives were lost due to shoddy road works. Roads caved in, pavements collapsed, and sewerage overflows turned neighbourhoods into public health hazards. Junta House stinks of neglect. Patto still floods. Deadlines die while empty promises continue to rot, pointed out Prabhav Naik.
Smart City road wedges in Panjim now host not progress but ganja plants, a cruel metaphor for misgovernance. Residents were forced to approach the High Court over dust pollution and chaos. What should have been a transformation has become a slow-burning torment. The result is a city sinking under the weight of its own “smart” failures while the government remains silent, said Naik.
And now, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant declares Margao will be developed next. Is this a reward or a warning? Are we to endure the same fate just because a defector MLA is desperate to justify his betrayal with ribbon cutting and public relations stunts?
Margao doesn’t need cosmetic projects, said Prabhav Naik. It needs structural repairs, functional infrastructure, transparent governance, and above all, a voice for the people. What we are being offered is not development. It is the duplication of disaster.
Madganvcho Awaaz demands that before any project begins, the government release a White Paper on Panaji’s Smart City failures. The public deserves to know the real cost in crores, in lives, and in dignity before Margao is dragged down the same path. Our city deserves better. And our people will not remain silent, warned Naik.
