Maharashtra government today asked Goa to provide government employment to 630 people affected by the inter-state Tillari irrigation development project.
In a high level meeting held in Panaji today, Maharashtra's water resources minister Sunil Tatkare urged his Goa counterpart, Philip Nery Rodrigues, to work out programme to provide employment to 630 people from Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra who were displaced due to the project.
"If Goa cannot provide the government jobs, it can formulate one-time settlement for the project-affected people," Tatkare told reporters after attending the meeting.
Maharashtra's demand stems from the agreement signed between both the states in 1990 which gave Goa 73% water share from the dam project on Tillari river in the North district.
Tatkare said that with Goa getting larger water share, it was also supposed to shoulder higher cost-sharing to the extent of 73% and bore liability like providing employment to the project affected people (PAP) as per 1976 Rehabilitation Act of Maharashtra.
"As a big brother, Maharashtra has let its land be submerged for the project and villages be rehabilitated for the project. Now its turn of Goa to fulfill its promises," the minister said responding to a question.
He said that few PAP had threatened to commit suicides if government employment, as promised to them during their evacuation, is not provided to them.
He said 11 villages with 1,236 families and 5,476 population was affected. While 869 families were certified to be PAP of which Maharashtra government has provided government employment to 204 people.
During the meeting today, Maharashtra also asked Goa to have a storage capacity built up alongside the Tillari irrigation project to take care of natural calamities or maintenance of canal during which the water can be supplied from this storage reservoir.
The project with 16 TMC dam is estimated to be cost Rs1612 crore of which Rs875 crore has to be borne by Goa government. Goa has to share Rs658 crore of the total cost.
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