Yesterday I met a student of mine who told me that he had become a 'builder'. Apparently, he has purchased around 4000 square metres of land in a village near Mapusa and is putting p a 'project'. Strangely in Goa, any one who has a little grease on his nose calls himself a 'mechanic' and anyone with a piece of land and cement on his sleeves becomes a builder.
The interesting part of his story however is that the Sarpanch and another panch (Ward member) were demanding 10 lakhs for the smooth sailing of the papers or in lieu of money an apartment and a shop. This got me wondering. Many panchas have given up their jobs and have a lifestyle which is beyond their apparent means. I personally know that there are Panchas who have no visible means of livelihood but have posh houses, cars and all the trimmings. Shouldn't some Government Agency - CBI, ED, Vigilance Department, etc - be looking into this? If they aren't working and are living it up, then obviously they have ill gotten gains. Putting a few panchas behind bars might put a damper on the building mania as most of the projects are full of irregularities and are passed by illegal gratification. -- Tony de Sa Ph: +91 832 2470148 E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] M: +91 9975 162 897 ----------------------------------------------------------- Ability is what will get you to the top if the boss has no daughter ------------------------------------------------------------
