Vasco lockdown delay: Goa Cong chief accuses CM of coal link

Addressing a press conference, Chodankar said the Pramod Sawant government was postponing the lockdown of Vasco town to allow transportation of coal from a vessel which is docked at Mormugao Port."The CM has personal vested interest in transportation of coal along with minister Milind Naik," Chodankar alleged, adding that the coal from the ship will be off-loaded in next two to three days.

Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Tuesday said the state government was reluctant to place Vasco town under lockdown as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant wants to wait till coal is off-loaded from a ship docked at Mormugao Port. Mangor Hill in Vasco is the prime cause for spike in COVID-19 cases and accounts for a vast majority of the 300-odd cases in the state, the chief minister had said on Monday.

Mangor Hill was declared a containment zone last week. Addressing a press conference, Chodankar said the Pramod Sawant government was postponing the lockdown of Vasco town to allow transportation of coal from a vessel which is docked at Mormugao Port.

"The CM has personal vested interest in transportation of coal along with minister Milind Naik," Chodankar alleged, adding that the coal from the ship will be off-loaded in next two to three days. "We demand that the chief minister come clear on what are his personal interests in the transportation business," he said at the press conference.

Rubbishing the allegations, Goa BJP spokesperson Damu Naik said the Congress was resorting to such personal allegations out of frustration as it had lost ground in the state. "The state government has been taking every step to ensure people are safe. The decision to not lock down Vasco was taken after giving proper thought to the issue," he said.

"The Congress has completely lost ground in the state and therefore was resorting to such personal allegations out of frustration," he added..