AAP manifesto promises graft-free, pollution-free Goa

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) promised corruption-free governance, pollution-free mining, and tourism free from casinos, gambling, drugs and prostitution in its ‘livelihood manifesto’, which was released on Tuesday.

The first instalment of the party’s election manifesto for Goa’s February 4 Assembly polls is based on feedback received from participants of the 350-plus ‘Goa Dialogues’. Elvis Gomes, the party’s chief ministerial candidate, said if the AAP came to power, corrupt miners would be put behind bars and recover ₹36,000 crore, the loss owing to illegal mining estimated by the Justice M.B. Shah Commission.

₹400-crore relief fund

The manifesto promises to create a ₹400-crore fund to provide relief to those affected by the closure of mines. It also promises to provide jobs to those dependent on mining and create a corridor in the mining belt to put an end to the villagers’ transportation woes.

In the fishing sector, the AAP has assured people living along the coast, who are facing pressure to adhere to coastal regulation norms, that their houses would be regularised. It has also promised to ban ecologically-destructive fishing, which adversely affects traditional fishing communities.

The AAP has promised to bring about land reforms by scrapping an amendment to the Tenancy Act enacted by the BJP government, which is considered to be unhelpful to the land rights of tillers.

The party also promised to scrap within three days of coming to power the government’s decision to withdraw the protection given to the coconut palm as a forest tree.

The AAP has criticised the BJP government for failing to create jobs in industries for locals, and promised single-window clearances and tax sops for efforts to make the sector eco-friendly.