Panaji, Aug 15 (IANS) Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Saturday blamed the state's first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar for the plight of fisherfolk living along the state's coastline, several hundred of whom face the prospects of losing their homes if a new coastal regulatory zone law comes into force in its present form.
Kamat, who announced the celebration of the golden jubilee of Bandodkar's birth anniversary this year, told a gathering in the city, that had the latter taken up the cause of special status for Goa with then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1960s, a lot of the troubles faced by fishermen today would have ceased to be.
"At that time probably, if the chief minister (Dayanand Bandodkar) had put up certain demands then Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru would have agreed to it," the chief minister told an audience which comprised of green activists, researches and journalists at a workshop organized by the Centre for Science of Environment in the city.
Goa was liberated from the Portuguese regime in 1961 much after the independence of India and according to Kamat, Nehru would have been willing to award Goa and Goans whatever they wanted, had Bandodkar only asked.
Incidentally, Bandodkar or 'bhau' (elder brother) as he was fondly called, was known as for his efforts to uplift the plight of the economically and socially backward classes of society in Goa, of which fisherfolk form a significant part.
"If Goa had to ask for a special status then Panditji would have even given special status for the state. Unfortunately, we did not think on those lines and that's why we face lots of problem," Kamat said.
Making a case for granting special exemption to Goa in the proposed coastal regulatory act, Kamat said that exemption was extremely necessary to protect the rights of fisherfolk, who have been dwelling along the coast for generations.
"Goa had put up its case for the exemption because our commitment is to protect that section of society which we believe has been staying there since many years," Kamat said.
A mine owner by trade, Bandodkar was the first chief minister of the state from 1963 till his death August 12, 1973.