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Enescil, a Brazilian engineering firm requires Engineers, Architects
and Draftsmen, proficient in AutoCAD, for their new office in Goa
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Selected candidates will be sent to Brazil for 2 months training
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Digambar Kamat government does not have the moral right to celebrate 50
years of Goa’s Liberation
By Nisser Dias
nisserdias at gmail.com
SMS to 9422437029
We are on the threshold of celebrating 50 years of Goa’s liberation from
the erstwhile Portuguese rulers in 1961, but the question that comes to
my mind is; do Goa and Goans have a reason to celebrate when we are
dumped in the abyss of uncertainty, large scale corruption by elected
representatives and public servants, when Goa is being allowed to be
ravaged – its hills being mowed down, its fields being reclaimed, its
lovely coastline already destroyed, its forests sacrificed, its rivers,
water bodies and springs being polluted? And over and above does the
Digambar Kamat led coalition government which has ruled its entire term,
the moral right to celebrate this memorable day?
Instead I feel that the day has finally dawned for Goans to take to the
streets to liberate ourselves from the death grip of this most corrupt
government since Liberation.
As of today people of Goa are facing acute shortage of fuel and it is
alleged that one of the ministers in the cabinet is demanding Rs. 20
Crores to permit sanctioning of the fuel pipeline which was closed after
the naphtha disaster in the port town of Vasco and since the demand is
yet to be met, the general public is made to queue up at the gas
stations for hours together to fuel the vehicles. At the same time the
state is facing acute power shortage because lopsided policies and also
because ego problems between the chief minister Digambar Kamat and Power
minister Alexio Sequeira.
PWD minister Churchill Alemao and his brother Urban Development Joaquim
Alemao minister threaten to topple the state government because Congress
party disqualifies his daughter as a candidate for the president of
youth congress for using chief minister and her father to campaign for
her victory. Comptroller and Auditor indicted Joaquim Alemao for wasting
precious exchequers money to the tune of crores of rupees but he
continues to be a minister.
In his latest statement Churchill has said that he would set-up a
sewerage plant in Benaulim constituency only if his daughter Valanka is
victorious; in other words this man is so sure that he will continue to
loot and plunder with PWD portfolio in the next government too.
Furthermore is it his personal money that he is going to use to set-up
the plant. It is tax payer’s money. Should such people be allowed to be
a part of Liberation celebration?
Health minister Vishwajit Rane uses exchequers money to either build
hospitals in Goa or upgrade them and then transfers it to private
parties thereby denying the public good health facilities or makes it
difficult for Goans to avail the facilities that have been purchased
with the taxes. To make matters worse he sits across and confabulates
about the health sector with companies who have not knowledge of health
but well-versed in arms and armaments. Of course this same minister is
alleged to have a hand in selling huge tracts of land to outsiders and
is said to be one of the main benefactors besides Babush Monserrate of
regional plan 2011.
Coming to Atanasio Monserrate, he along with his goons attacked Panjim
police station indicating complete lack of integrity and disregard for
law, but chief minister Digambar Kamat inducted him in his cabinet. The
former is subsequently detained with loads of foreign currency at the
international airport in Mumbai but refuses to step down as minister and
the chief minister too does not strip him of his portfolio.
How can we forget Home minister Ravi Naik, whose foot is in the mouth
more often than on the ground. One fine morning he makes a grand
statement that drugs are not available on Goan soil, but not long after
drugs dealers start singing like canaries that they have close
connection with his son Roy Naik, who they allege is the kingpin of drug
trade in Goa. Besides that police officers are suspended for their
involvement in drug trade and even the then SP Veenu Bansal is filmed
allowing a drug dealer to use his office chamber to consume food and
relax. During his reign as Home minister there have been numbers of
cases of policemen involved in rapes and that too at the police stations
itself. Should such a man be allowed to be a part of 50 years of Goa’s
Liberation?
Then we have revenue minister Jose Philip D’Souza, who was thick in the
scam of doling out compensation to his supporters rather than the
victims of Naphtha fire disaster at Vasco. It is alleged that the
victims are yet to receive the compensation due, but D’souza supporters
who were not even affected by the raging fire have already pocketed the
money. The Mormugao Municipal Council members has already unearthed
several alleged land grabbing incidents of this minister and rumours are
also making rounds of his alleged hand in Excise scam which the
Opposition has repeatedly raised in the assembly.
Then we have the minister for Forest and Water Resources Filipe Neri
Rodrigues, though maintaining a low profile has allowed our hills to be
marauded and flattened by mine owners. Sports minister Manohar alias
Babu Azgaonkar and Goa Cricket Association president Dayanand Narvekar
want to build stadiums by destroying forests and Rodrigues is reduced to
a mere spectator. For more than five years since he has been holding
Water Resources portfolio he has not been able to augment water supply
to the state.
Former power minister Digambar Kamat had said that by 2007 each and
every household in the state would have electricity, but the current
Power minister Alexio Sequeira has not worked towards it. Infact under
his leadership the power problems in the state has quadrupled. Power
supply in each and every village is disrupted more than a dozen of
times. Power transmission lines are in a bad state, electricity poles
are of poor quality, outstanding revenue collection from commercial
connections is said to be a whooping Rs. 80 crores. It seems that his
contribution to the development of the state is none, but he will be a
part of 50 years of Goa liberation this year.
Former Tourism minister Mickky Pacheco was behind bars twice during this
tenure as an elected representative, once for alleged abetment to commit
suicide of his close friend and secondly after being convicted for
assaulting government servant while on duty.
And lastly we have chief minister Digambar Kamat whose lack of
administration abilities, his greed to hang on to the chief minister’s
chair, his incompetence to control his ministerial colleagues and MLAs
to loot, plunder and amass wealth has spelt doomsday for Goa. At the
same time he himself is responsible unabated large scale mining that has
destroyed fields and natural beauty of Goa and environment. And the
biggest irony is that as chief minister he is the chairman of the
organizing committee of 50 years of Goa liberation.
It does not end there, to complete the destruction; politicians are now
trying to bring in family members into politics. They have already
brought in large number of migrants to make Goans a minority class in
Goa in their own homeland.
Lastly what the erstwhile Portuguese rulers could not destroy in 450
years our elected representatives have destroyed in mere 50 years and
these same people want to celebrate 50 years of Liberation. What the
Goans need to do is; rise as one entity, cast aside political
affiliation, irrespective caste, creed and religion vote against all the
40 MLAs. That would the true Liberation of Goa. (ENDS)
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First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - November 3, 2011
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