Karwar: While Karwar is crying for development, the government is busy adding bogies to the DEMU train to take its young to Goa in search of jobs as there are few in the district, regrets Jana Shakthi Vedike president, Madhav Nayak.
“Hundreds of educated youth from Karwar depend on Goa for jobs as there are not enough job opportunities here in the absence of major industries. The number of those travelling to Goa is increasing every year.
“They go to Goa every morning and return at night by train and other modes of transport,” he says, deploring that instead of setting up a couple of industries in Karwar, all that politicians are doing is increasing the number of bogies of the DEMU trains going to Goa.
“As the number of youth going to Goa is increasing every year, the number of bogies too have increased. Earlier, the train had three bogies and now it has eight!” he observes ruefully.
Mr Nayak doesn’t understand why Karwar does not have any industries despite its six major power production stations and good human resources.
“We have been urging the government to bring major industries to the region so our youth can get employment , but there is lack of political will to make this a reality. The state government needs to give incentives like uninterrupted power and tax concessions to encourage people to set up industries here,” he stresses.
Deputy Commissioner S S Nakul, when contacted, said there were attempts to boost cottage industry in the region and the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant and the Seabird Naval base were in the process of being expanded, implying that more jobs were on the way for the people of the district.