Projects should go if Chimbel people don’t want them: Union minister Shripad Naik

Panaji: Union minister of state for power and new and renewable energy Shridad Naik, who faced angry Chimbel residents on Sunday as they protested outside his house demanding the scrapping of the Prashashan Stambh and the Unity Mall projects, said, he was with the people of Chimbel.“I told the CM that they should not go ahead with the two projects if the people don’t want them,” Naik told the protesting residents, as they demanded he make his stand clear: “Whether you are with us, or with govt on this issue.”“I’m with the people of Chimbel,” Naik also told reporters. The protesters said they will go ahead with a mega protest on Tuesday. “Even today, I told govt, if they (Chimbel people) don’t want it, the project should not be forced upon them,” he said.The issue, he assured, will be sorted out at the earliest, and he will take up the issue with the Centre. When protesters made allegations against state govt, and the role of one of the ministers in bringing the project to Chimbel, he said, the govt was trying to understand the sentiments of the people.“I told the CM that if people think the project is an obstruction, then why should we have it? It can be shifted elsewhere,” he said.Earlier in the day, Naik told reporters that if the Unity Mall project proved to be damaging to the environment, then it should go. “If the claims of the people are right, then we will support them,” the Union minister said.Around 150 villagers waited outside Naik’s house until evening, demanding to know his stand on the twin projects, while the survey to demarcate the zone of influence continued for the second day and will resume on Tuesday.Pramod Badami, a former water resource department (WRD) chief engineer who was part of the surveying team, said, “Today we surveyed the catchment area, marked the key points of the buffer zone along with the vegetation, and studied the inflow and outflow of the lake water.”He said a drone was used to map the extent of the catchment since it falls in the forested area. “We need more time to explore, and Monday is a national holiday. We will resume the survey on Tuesday,” Badami said.