Are you happy with Goa's development scenario?(Gomantak Times, May 30) Compared to its predecessor, the Government has fared a lot better. However, compared to Parrikar's 2000 - 2005 tenure, this Government has been a pale shadow. After 7 years of misrule by the previous regime, people had plenty of hopes & aspirations & in Parrikar, they saw a man who could deliver but sadly, this Government has fallen short to deliver on its promises despite being in a comfortable majority. Posts of Lokayukta & RTI commissioners have been filled only towards the fag end of the tenure which should have been a priority for a Government which came to power on the plank of Zero tolerance towards corruption. Wheels of administration are moving slowly & files moving even slower from one table to another. For a common man to get justice remains a distant dream with cases lingering in courts and similar being the scenario on various other fronts. Goa, a world renowned tourist destination, still has heaps of garbage along its streets, which is disappointing. Sports infrastructure has been created but rarely put to good use and no proper sports policy in place. Reforms are happening at a very slow pace and very little is being done to bring about substantial improvement in overall governance. When the proposed IT Park will actually come up, nobody knows. On the brighter side, the Government has given a lot of good schemes to the people and the health insurance scheme for all its citizens is another feather in its cap. Construction of wider roads, flyovers & bridges, infrastructure works, Smart city, etc. are some of their positive efforts and achievements which need to be appreciated. On a scale of 1 to 10, if I were to rate the previous Government at 2, then I would rate present one at 4. Average at best but short of expectations. With barely a few months to go now, the Government needs to wake up & pull up their socks. Administration needs to be overhauled and time bound delivery of services must become a reality rather than being just another bill passed in the Assembly. What we expect the Government to give us is a clean, beautiful and garbage free Goa with eco-friendly Industries, job creation and incentives for the youth, proper traffic management and public mobility plan, tougher laws and speedy justice, a corruption free environment, friendly and responsive officers to attend to public needs, crime control and good policing. Let’s hope they are listening.
Sandeep Heble, Panjim-Goa 9326129171 (A truncated version of my response has appeared in today's edition of Gomantak Times. Feel free to agree/ disagree. Happy Goa Statehood Day wishes to all)
