POLITICIANS, COPS PLUNDERING GOA By Nisser Dias
Last week, leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar caused a small stir in the assembly, when he alleged that the Inspector General of Police was constructing a bungalow of more then Rs. 50 lakhs and total worth of the project including the land was Rs. One crore. Leader of Opposition while demanding an inquiry into the matter also alleged that the IGP was sourcing the money for the construction from various police stations. This in my opinion is just the tip of the iceberg, simply because this has been happening for so long, that it is really surprising that a well informed politico like Parrikar gets to learn about this strategy of the cops now. Infact, this form of extortion has not only been perfected by the men in uniform, but also by politicians and government servants like RTO officers, directors and even government advocates. It is an unwritten rule that at the end of the month, heads of various departments, directorates and Corporations have to contribute a pre-decided amount to minister’s coffers. The modus operandi is similar to what Parrikar was talking about. Then minister orders the top person in his ministry to collect his booty, hook or by crook, thus directors, chairpersons have to direct their sub-ordinates all over the state to gather money – irrespective of the method adopted by them. This is just one of the means for the ministers to amass ill gotten wealth. Take the example of some of the ministers in the present dispensation, till as recently as three years, some of the ministers were having difficulty to remain afloat, some others could not even afford to pay banks loans, but today the same ministers are moving about with high end cars in the world like Bentleys, Hummers and BMWs. What are the turn of fortune from then and now, the answer is simple, they have become ministers? Infact, one of the current ministers, during his deposition in a Quepem court was asked to state his profession for the record and his prompt reply was social worker. Can you imagine a social worker gifting his son a top-end BMW costing Rs. One crore ten lakhs as a birthday gift. And the only known source of income is the salary that is drawn as the minister. Then we have another minister moving in a Hummer, an American vehicle, the cost of which is Rs. One crore thirty lakhs. This vehicle guzzles one litre of fuel to travel 1.6 kms. Besides his latest addition to the fleet of cars is a Bentley. Then we have elected representatives frequenting casinos with lakhs of rupees. How can the ministers afford to burn so much of money, from where has it been generated. This is something that needs probing. Then there is a classic example of a government advocate, who resorted to novel idea, maybe the Inspector General of Police borrowed it from the former. At the time of construction of his bungalow, he allotted various rooms comprising his bungalow to various police stations in his jurisdiction. For example a police station having jurisdiction over towns or areas with business establishments or bigger commercial activity had to contribute to build the living room, dinning room or the kitchen, whereas police stations in areas with lesser revenue generation capacity were allotted bedrooms and store rooms. This government servant using his official position went to the extent of using one of the top investigating agencies in the country to clear a cargo sent by his family members from abroad and brought it home without paying a dime. And it is said that the most of the contents of the cargo were fittings, electronic items and other materials for the bungalow. All the cops irrespective of their designation are known to accept bribes from matka bookies, prostitution, drug dealers, at immigration counter, from illegal sale of fuel, traffic offenders, bus and truck owners, the list can go on and on. This ill gotten wealth of top echelon of cops is so much that one cop of the rank of DySP, started money lending business through a known money lender cum extortionist from Salcete. In yet another incident, the Crime branch had raided the residential premises of a police sub inspector for disproportionate assets. Though his promotion to PI has been blocked, he has currently been posted as the in-charge of a police, which is as good as being a police inspector. The inquiries into the charges are yet to see the light of the day. Now in-charge, he is using the newsmen to be in news, so as to facilitate his promotion. At the time of transfers, there is a flurry of activity, police try to get the lucrative posting like the beach belt or towns or immigration and even in the narcotic cell. One of the police inspectors posted along the coastal belt runs water sports business near two star hotels in south Goa. The price of one Jet Ski itself is Rs. 7 lakhs, where has this money come from? Then Rural Transport Offices are another example of hotbed of corruption. It is an open secret that these officers have to shell out Rs. 7 to 8 lakhs to be recruited and then the floodgates are thrown open to them to loot and plunder. From procuring a driving license to passing a transport vehicle, palms of RTO officers have to be greased; otherwise one cannot dream of being a licensed driver or getting a road worth certificate for a transport vehicle. One of the young RTO officers, two years after being absorbed in service, under the license of renovation, built an entirely new structure depicting Old Portuguese mansion. Sub registrar offices all over the state are fountain heads of corruption, no file moves without under the table payments, no appointments, deeds of any type are accepted with paying bribes. Even if a will is to be drawn of a person on his death bed, it is not done till palms are greased. Worse still if the ministers do not receive their decided amount at the end of the week or fortnight, sub registrars are threatened with punishment postings. In conclusion, corruption has not remained merely a bribe; it has gained the notoriety of extortion, with all the blessing of the politicians and bureaucrats. Mr. chief minister these are the enemies of the state, who have invited disgrace and defamed Goa, do you have the will to act against them? Or was your Liberation Day speech just lip service to the aam admi? Above article also appeared in GT today (24/12/09) Forwarded to me upon request. Pl Send your comments/reactions/acknowledgements or to [email protected] or SMS 9422437029 may also cc to us [email protected] for Goa & NRI related info... http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/GOAN-NRI/ For Goan Video Clips http://youtube.com/joeukgoa In Goa, Dial 1 0 8 For Hospital, Police, Fire etc The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
