Let’s talk, resolve Unity Mall issue: CM to Chimbel locals

Panaji: Amid opposition from locals to the state govt prestigious Unity Mall project at Chimbel, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday urged the locals to meet him to resolve the issue.

Sawant assured locals that the Toyyar Lake will be preserved for the future.“I request agitators to come and meet me in case they have some issues. We did not interfere into anyone’s land. Agitators can come and meet me to discuss the issue. I don’t want to hurt anybody,” the chief minister said.Sawant said that the concern raised by the locals over destruction of the Toyyar Lake is mapped by the biodiversity board and nobody can destroy the lake.

“My govt identified that lake as a biodiversity lake and we will not destroy it. We will preserve it,” he said.The chief minister said that the Unity Mall is being constructed on govt land which was acquired almost a decade ago. “State govt received all the clearances from various authorities, including the biodiversity board and environment clearances. We even obtained construction licences and other approvals and started the construction,” he said.

Sawant said that he is yet to understand the reason for the locals opposing the project. “Some political parties need some reason to oppose it. Leaders jump into agitations and give lengthy speeches to stop big infrastructure projects coming in the state,” he said. The chief minister said that during the opposition tenure, they did not execute such projects and now they cannot see such projects coming in the state.“Junta House is in a dilapidated stage, and we need to shift govt offices and for that we need Unity Mall. If people oppose such projects, then I don’t understand what they need. When we say that Goa will become a developed state, it is our responsibility to get state-of-the-art projects,” Sawant said.