GOA SLUM DWELLERS FIND POLLS A PLATFORM TO PUT FORTH THEIR DEMANDS
Vasco (Goa), Apr 23 (ANI): With general elections currently underway, residents of Birla Nagar, the biggest slum here, have found an ideal opportunity to voice their demands for basic civic amenities.
The slum-dwellers constitute a 20,000 strong votebank that no political party can afford to ignore it. Many of the slum-dwellers are migrants from the neighbouring state Karnataka who settled in Goa several decades ago.But even after several years, residents of the Birla Nagar slum are living in a deplorable condition, with lack of even the most basic amenities like potable water supply, proper sewerage and electricity.
'There are no toilets and this is a major problem for us. When leaders come asking for votes, we inform them about our problems. They reply that this is not our land. Congressmen say that we'll do this and that, but to no avail. People from BJP also assure us, but without any results. It's all a farce,' said Dasrath, one of the residents of the slum.
Goa would go to polls on April 26 in the third phase of elections. Goa is one of the favoured tourist destinations in the country.
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