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|                         Wishing all Goanetters                         |
|                             a Prosperous                               |
|                                  and                                   |
|                         Happy New Year - 2006                          |
|                    Goanet - http://www.goanet.org                      |
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Notwithstanding claims  of CM of Goa Mr. Pratapsing
Raoji Rane, or CM of Karnataka Mr Dharam Singh both
who head coalition Governments in their respective
states that "there  will be no midterm polls " in
their States  it is clear that as of now  both Goa and
Karnataka are heading for polls by first week  May
2006.  

Buoyed by its thumping success in the recently
concluded local bodies elections in Karnataka and the
dilema it has put its coalition partner headed by the
ex PM Mr H D Deve Gowda in Karnataka followed by a
similar situation for the Opposition BJP in Goa ; the
INC feels  its time opportune to go to the polls and
win with a convincing majority to run a Government on
its own rather than be pulled by the pressures from
coalition partners which the Congress has accepted
only owing to political expediency and not as a rule.

While on a two day visit to Goa the All India Congress
Committee General Secretary looking after the Goa Desk
Ms Margaret Alva,    brief appeared to be : 

a) to  douse flames sparked by Mr Ravi Sitaram Naik's
GPCC President, MLA Ponda & Chairman of the Economic
Development Corporation ---viz to clear proposal of a
ONE TIME SETTLEMENT ----plainly speaking a waiver of
loan outstandings of some "business houses loanees "
which the Cabinet had disapproved last November, 2005,
and is now sought to be approved to please Mr Naik;

The list of such beneficiaries incidentally till today
is a "guarded secret" -- but is being ferreted out, 
by some interested quarters,  under the RIGHT TO
INFORMATION ACT  ( in force on 12th October, 2005 ) to
make it an election issue.

This deal of Mr Naik seems to fall through as it could
also fill the coffers of the Party which has been out
of power from 24.10.2000 until 2nd February, 2005 or
7th June 2005 

b) to placate Mormugao Parliamentary Constituency MP
Mr Churchill Braz Alemao heading the "Yes to Dabolim
No to Mopa" issue that the matter is being "examined" 
by the PM Dr Manmohan Singh and a committee will be
appointed to ascertain  the tourist projections for
the next three four decades to gauge  the need for
another airport which translated means after six
months reviving Mopa "de novo " 

Under these circumstances land acquisition proceedings
may only be "stayed temporarily" but not "dropped in
toto"  as demanded by Mr Alemao.

But this move is akin to the case of the then PM late
Mr P V Narasimha Rao Prime Minister of India who in
1991 appointed the Justice Oza Commission to examine
the route of the Konkan Railway and finally went ahead
with the project WITHOUT diverting the route for a
stretch of 21 kms in the interiors which was the  
demand of the agitators.

The issue of Mopa will be the same and after six
months period we could expect Mopa to go in full
steam. Unless Mr Narayan Rane ex Shiv Sena CM of
Maharastra and now in the Congress ---the new found
Messiah of the Konkan region of Maharashtra finds land
in Sawantwadi. Incidentally it was Ms Margaret Alva
who as observer of Maharastra desk as well is credited
for his resounding victory against the Shiv Sena
candidate who lost his deposit. Hence Ms Alva may be
inclined to have Mr Narayan Rane scout for a place in
Sindhurga Maharashtra to have an airport and thereby
empower the people economically of this backward
region.

This seems more convincing because the Ministry of
Civil Aviation has cleared the over 500 crore
upgradation of the Dabolim terminal by 2007 and is
awaiting the Defence authorities to part with some
more land held by the Navy in Goa. The silence of Mr
Churchill Alemao could be read as a confirmation of
this prospect.

The CM Mr Pratapsing Rnae has also been asked to
expedite administration which is a clear indication
that the "non performance of the present coalition
government " has been taken note of seriously by the
High Command  in comparison to the administration of
Mr Parrikar headed coalition Government.

But what earns legitimacy to this belief is that the
entire intensive revision of electoral rolls for 2006
will be completed on 24 April, 2006.  

Another reason for the mid term polls is to offset the
prospects of going to the polls before the new
delimitation of constituencies  comes into force with
20 constituencies in the North and South respectively 
unlike the present 21 and 19 constituencies.  

If delimitation comes about then the prospects of Mr
Jeetendra Deshprabhu MLA Pernem a pro Mopa votary
could be affected with his present Pernem constituency
becoming a Schedule Caste reserved constituency. 


from the dabolim airport 

GODFREY JI GONSALVES
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
BORDA MARGAO GOA 

 



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