A controversy has erupted in Goa over Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's comment to NDTV, in which he said a former Chief Minister of the state - the late Manohar Parrikar - had not objected to a contentious infrastructure project that is at the heart of citizens' protests. For over a month now Goans have taken to the streets to oppose a clutch of projects that cut through the Mollem National Park and the Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot in the eastern part of the state that is recognised by UNESCO.