Commenting on 24th Western Zone Council meeting, the Congress party, on Friday, said that the meeting failed to address state’s issues, including mining, rising drug cases, internal security and flooding of villages in the state following the opening of Tillari dam gates.
Speaking to the media in Margao, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar said that “the meeting was to bring together the BJP and not to address state’s concerns.”
“The Western Zone meeting was actually meant to raise issues and create cooperation and coordination between the western states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra and Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. But it seems like it was a BJP meeting. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should have informed that such a meeting was going to be held at the recently concluded Assembly session and taken people’s suggestions, but it was not done. The minutes of the meeting showed that no serious issues being faced by the state were discussed,” he said.
Mining closure, he said is an issue that has slowed down the state’s economy, and should have been raised at the meeting.
Chodankar also pointed out that the drug issue is not only faced by the state of Goa but also is a problem in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
“Drugs are a burning issue in all the three coastal states, and should have been discussed. To make it worse, the drugs have begun to enter our schools,” he said.
Other issues, including the opening of the gates of Tilari dam that caused flooding in two Goan villages, Ibrahmpur and Sal, problems between fishing trawlers from Maharshtra and Goa, tourism, interstate road transport, linking roads, waterways, the Virdi irrigation project and Valvanti river should also have been 
discussed.
He said that Sawant should have involved the people of the state as well as MLAs, leader of opposition and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) by inviting suggestions for the meeting.
He also called the meeting a total waste of a good opportunity to address concerns of the 
state.