To Goanet - The following is the final slate of questions that are being sent to Manohar Parrikar. We ran these by a few Goanetters and sought inputs from them. But only Dr. Anand Virgincar and I are responsible for any shortcomings, acts of commission or omission, in this finalized version. We may continue to fine-tune these questions, add or subtract, but the core content will be roughly as set out below.
I will be interviewing Manohar Parrikar, and hopefully Digambar Kamar (if he agrees to it). No date has been set yet but we expect to have that figured out soon. Regards, r ***** From: Rajan P. Parrikar and Anand Virgincar Subject: Questions for Manohar Parrikar Theme 1: Environmental destruction, rampant construction Question 1: RP2011 would have been the end of Goa as we know it. What has been your involvement in the crafting of the new RP2021? Have you been asked for any input? - Any comments on the composition of the Task Force? Question 2: Construction violations and CRZ violations are rampant in Goa. Every day we hear of a new hill cutting, an illegal structure or conversion of land. You cannot walk a few metres in Goa without coming across a construction site. Look at the view from Miramar - the entire hillside on the Reis Magos flank has been laid to waste. Are you aware of all this? What have you done to stop it? Question 3: You have now come out strongly against the SEZs. Can you categorically tell us that you are against the SEZs in any form? - It is alleged that you had supported SEZs when you were in power. What do you have to say to that? - You said you would file charges against politicians who facilitated entry of these SEZs to Goa. Why havent you done so yet? Question 4: In the past 3 years, huge portions of Goas land assets have been bought out by outsiders. Many of them have deep pockets and political clout at the Centre. There is now talk that we need to look into laws that will prohibit the sale of land to outsiders. Where are you on this? - Some allege that by bringing IFFI to Goa you have yourself spurred this land sale by giving Goa undue visibility. What do you say to that? - In retrospect, do you think IFFI was a mistake? - Some current politicians have been involved in land deals. Will you expose them? - Many foreigners are buying into real estate in Goa by circumventing laws, forming front companies with Indian partners. Our govt has no little oversight. How do you propose to deal with this menace? Theme 2: Communalism & Minority concerns Question 5: The VCD produced and released during your tenure has evoked a strong negative reaction from the Catholic community. You have alienated yourself and your party from even the moderates in the Catholic community. Why did you put it out in the first place? Do you regret it now? - You cannot shift responsibility for the VCD on your subordinates. As the Education Minister and the Chief Minister you alone were accountable. What do you say to that? Question 6: Large segments of the Catholic community view you with deep suspicion. Part of it reflects the schism that exists between the Goan Hindus and Christians. But in your case the issue goes deeper in the eyes of many Catholics: for instance, some point to an interview given in Outlook by you (June 15, 2002) when you were CM of Goa, where you asserted that you were a staunch RSS member. Do you stand by your assertion? - There are Catholics who admire your capabilities yet have reservations about you. What can you say and do that may allay this distrust? Question 7: What do you have to say on so-called anti-Muslim riots in Curchorem? - The vandalism in Fontainhas is likewise a stain on your govt. What was the role of Naguesh Karmali in that incident? - The Bishops Palace incident is another jarring note during your stewardship. Question 8: It has been said by some that your government was strongly dominated by the Saraswat caste whose members, they allege, received a disproportionate share of appointments and contracts. Is that true? Do you have any numbers to support your answer? Similarly, it is alleged that the majority community - Hindus - got preferential treatment during your regime. Do you agree? Question 9: Where do you stand on the Konkani in Romi script issue? Theme 3: Tourism Question 10: Our tourism policy has been thoughtless and directionless. Goa is now seen as a hotbed of drugs, rave parties. It has become a trash can that has attracted the worst elements from India and abroad. Coastal Bardez, Morjim, Arambol are as good as independent territories. There was no effort to shape the tourism policy meaningfully during your tenure. Instead we heard you tout Goa as a 365-days destination. Are we going to live with this kind of tourism the rest of our lives? - Why did you not put an end to rave parties during your tenure? - The Russian presence in and around Morjim is alarming. There is evidence of criminal activity there - drugs, prostitution etc with active collusion with local authorities. Why havent you raised these issues in the Assembly and in the media? Question 11: We hear that huge Casinos will soon be within kissing distance of our coastline, that Marinas will soon dot the Goan shoreline. It is as if these people want to finish off Goa on all fronts. Where do you stand on the casinos and marinas proposals? Question 12: The tranquility in our villages is increasingly becoming a thing of the past with the high levels of noise pollution. Ordinary Goan families in coastal villages are assailed by loud music blasting from the discos, club and outdoor shacks late into the night. The peace of Panjims Mandovi river is shattered by the noisy cruise boats. A lot of these licenses to cruise boats were issued during your term. Are you going to do anything about it should you come back to power? - Our beaches have become encroachment zones with shacks and huts and the associated litter and garbage. No longer can we Goans go take a quiet walk on any of our beaches. What do you propose to do about this? Question 13: Tourism in a country like India - given its poorly regulated civic behavior, lack of civic responsibility, lack of controls, poor law enforcement is a recipe for misery, as Goans have discovered the hard way. For the majority of the Goan population that does not benefit financially from tourism, it has become a big nuisance. Do you have an alternative to tourism? What can you offer the educated Goan today, to keep him fruitfully engaged here in Goa? Theme 4: Migrants, Population Freeze Question 14: Among the most noticeable changes in the past couple of years has been the dramatic increase in migrants. We are being hit from both the ends: the rich outsiders seeking to buy Goan homes, apartments and land, and the unskilled, poor migrants looking for work. Goa cannot sustain these levels, especially of the poor migrants who now come not only from Karnakata and Maharashtra, but from Bihar, UP, MP, AP, Jhakhand, W Bengal, Rajasthan just about everywhere. How will you deal with the migrant menace that threatens to swamp Goa and obliterate our unique identity, our peace and our quality of life? Question 15: A drive through Verna industrial estate, or Pilerne industrial estate, or Kundaim industrial estate reveals that the overwhelming workers in there are migrants. Our industrial policy has failed insofar as employment and retention of Goans are concerned. We have also had a history of outsiders setting up shop with govt subsidy and then running away with the money. Where are you on this and what might you do about it? Question 16: You have talked about a population freeze. Do you have any specific proposals? Would you get support from the Centre? Question 17: What was once inconceivable in Goa has happened: the birth of slums, actively aided and abetted by politicians to create their own vote banks. Voter fraud is widespread migrants who have been in Goa for no more than a few weeks are given voter cards, handed ration cards and so on. Voter fraud is so rampant that it runs the risk of marginalizing us Goans. Take the example of Sancoale where the sarpanch is an outsider who knows no Konkani, who has been voted in by her fellow migrants. You should be out there raising the alarm yet all politicians are strangely quiet. What are you going to do about this threat? Will you call for an investigation and reversal of voter fraud? Theme 5: Current Miscellaneous Issues Question 18: Bribes to ministers for contract awards are an open secret. Corruption by politicians is now no longer under the table in secluded rooms they do it in the open. Why has no Goan politician gone to jail or has been held accountable when corruption pervades every aspect of Goan polity? Nobody has had to pay the slightest price for any misdemeanors. Why is that? Question 19: One consequence of making Mopa an airport is that rural northeastern Goa will no longer remain rural. Do we want to turn every square inch of our state into an urban zone? Big builders will rush to Mopa and surrounds to cash in on the opportunities opened up. We hear that politicians such as Sharad Pawar and his cronies have bought huge tracts of land in Mopa and in neighboring Maharashtra. Instead of aiming to reduce the number of visitors to Goa, Mopa is going to spur more influx, encourage streaming of migrants all this will be counter to your view that we need to freeze our population. Where do you stand on Mopa? Question 20: Goa has seen an exponential increase in motor vehicles on our roads. Goans roads have become death traps. The air pollution in Panjim has increased as has the risk to pedestrians. The current situation is unsustainable if Panjim and Goa are to remain the pleasant places they have been till now. Have you given any thought to this issue, perhaps of a policy of public transport that is highly efficient, affordable and comfortable? Question 21: Goas police force has been both politicized and criminalized. Hafta-taking is widespread. No political party can escape blame for this state of affairs. What would you do to remedy the situation if you came back to power? Please outline specific steps. Question 22: The garbage problem is a major one confronting Goa today. Do you have specific proposals to address this imbroglio? Question 23: Questions have been raised on the EDC one-time settlement to your brother-in-law. Can you explain that? Question 24: After publicly declaring before the 2007 elections that you would have no truck with Babush Monserrate, you changed your mind after the election and allied with him in the GDA. Why did you go back on your word? Question 25: What in your view has been your biggest mistake in your political life thus far and what would you do differently now? Question 26: What is your vision for Goa, say for the next 10 years? Ill give you the last word. *****
