Goa CM seeks industry bodies' support to three infra projects

Amid opposition faced by the Goa government to three infrastructure projects, including the railway track doubling, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged the industry bodies in the state to speak in favor of these projects.

He also said that these projects- proposed highway expansion, railway track doubling, and laying of power transmission line- were beneficial for the state's industrial and tourism growth.

Various NGOs and the opposition parties in the state have been opposing these projects, alleging that the BJP-led government wants to convert the state into a coal hub.

''The ongoing infrastructure projects in the state are beneficial for the industrial and tourism growth and they are not meant to facilitate coal transportation,'' Sawant said while addressing a gathering of industrialists at VernaIndustrial Estate on Thursday evening.

He said that the state government is working towards reducing the import of coal into the state from the current levels.

''The track doubling project of the South WesternRailway is for other commodities and tourism. It will benefit the industry,'' he said.