Panaji: Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar on Wednesday strongly condemned the sexual assault of a minor in his constituency and stressed the need for parents to remain vigilant and take greater responsibility for the safety and protection of their children.Expressing concern over the incident, Tawadkar said ensuring children’s safety was a collective responsibility that required greater awareness and vigilance among parents and society. He stressed that parents must remain alert to their children’s surroundings, activities and well-being to help prevent such incidents.The incident has once again brought the issue of child safety into focus, particularly after a toddler was raped in Mapusa on Sunday. Another case involving the rape of a four-year-old girl was reported in Canacona on Wednesday, highlighting the need for greater vigilance and stronger efforts to ensure children’s safety.On Tuesday, following the rape of a toddler in Mapusa, Tawadkar claimed that 90% of such crimes were committed by outsiders. He termed the incident unfortunate and described the perpetrator as a person with a “demonic mentality”. He also called for stricter police enforcement to prevent such crimes.“Such crimes should not happen in Goa or anywhere else in the country. The person who has committed this crime has a demonic mentality,” he said.“Goa is a tourist state. People from outside the state come here and 90% of people involved in such cases are those who have come to Goa from outside,” he claimed.He, however, maintained that people could not be stopped from coming to Goa to earn their livelihood.“Govt is playing its role in controlling such crimes. Police should also tighten enforcement to prevent such incidents,” he said.Meanwhile, Tawadkar backed the ongoing road development work at Karmal Ghat, stating that infrastructure development was necessary while acknowledging concerns over tree felling and its environmental impact.Referring to earlier incidents and concerns surrounding road development in ghat sections, Tawadkar said such challenges were not new and that the govt was making efforts to address them. He maintained that development work had to move forward, but acknowledged the need to take environmental concerns into consideration, particularly the number of trees that would be affected by the project.He said infrastructure development and environmental protection needed to be considered together, adding that concerns over the project’s impact should also be addressed while ensuring that essential road works were completed.
