Five years of neglect : AAP warns of intensified agitation if water woes persist

Goa Khabar : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday tore into Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo for what it described as five years of betrayal and neglect that has left residents of Zor Vaddo, Chapora, and Anjuna struggling for drinking water.

Leading the protest, AAP Goa Joint Secretary Pujan Malvankar, along with agitated locals, gheraoed the Assistant Engineer of Mapusa PWD water works and submitted a memorandum demanding urgent resolution. He warned that if immediate steps are not taken, AAP and residents will escalate their agitation.

Malvankar slammed CM Pramod Sawant who until recently was heading the PWD himself for allowing “gross mismanagement” under his watch. “Pipelines are diverted to hotels and luxury villas while ordinary Goans go without water. Unauthorised oversized connections thrive under political patronage, and locals are forced to buy expensive private tankers,” he said.

The memorandum accused both the Chief Minister and MLA Delilah Lobo of abandoning their duty to the people. “For five years, the BJP government has neglected the issue of Siolim residents. The CM, who once led the PWD, failed to deliver. The MLA Lobo, despite repeated pleas, has done nothing. Their silence proves they stand with commercial lobbies, not the people,” Malvankar charged.

Residents expressed anger over repeated empty promises. “They said we’d get tanker water. We got it only once. Private tankers are bleeding us dry,” a Zor Vaddo resident said.

AAP has demanded equitable water distribution, an inquiry into illegal connections, and restoration of household supply. “Five years is too long. If current Water Department Subhash Phal Dessai and MLA Delilah Lobo won’t act, the people will,” Malvankar declared, vowing intensified protests until justice is delivered.