Are Goan Politicians Using SEZs for making a fast buck? Question on question -- ?
Is Goa ready for SEZs? Well, a lot has been written and said and spoken about the latest medium of corruption that is introduced by the Goa Government and its crooked Ministers -- The SEZs! The Issue: It is alledged that there has been a huge level of corruption in the allocation of space in the SEZ areas. -- Understandable! Where ever there is a land deal, the Ministers both at the local and the national level have always tried their best to make a commission (read bribe) over the sale of land and space. Why this happens: Historically in Goa, every and any politician has got away with mass scale corruption. Check the cases pending against any of the current and past MLAs/Ministers. Currently almost all of the Digamber Kamat ministry is made up of tainted ministers, including Digamber kamat himself...so what better do we expect? from whom? Is Goa ready for SEZs? Goa, currently is struggling with its poor infrastructure and not much is being done to aleviate the sufferings of the common man (read aam aadmi). Tourism, the next big industry in Goa that will help the state economically is being totally neglected. Observe the world over how tourist destinations have been promoted by their governments. In the past tenure of Dr Wilfred Dsouza, he couldnt even rid the Candolim beach of the River princess...today Dr Wilfred D souza is history, but see the damage he did by being an incompetent tourism minister, or the other former tourism ministers. Not much has been done to improve the facilities and the infrastructure to help grow the tourism industry. Today, the Goa government and the various cunning politicians associated with the current dispensation are in a hurry to sell Goa n make a commission. The new mantra is SEZs -- it is nothing, but yet another medium to sell Goa to the highest bidder to outsiders. The Goa of today is strugling to keep up to its growing demands in terms of water and electricity....and although senior Politicians like Francisco Sardinha with an eye on the upcoming elections has declared that the Goa government will not be responsible to provide water and electricity to the companies setting up in the SEZs, only goes to show how the government will sooner or later encourage more power thefts and scams like the expert Mauvin Godinho is alleged to have done during his tenure as the power minister -- as Parrikar and he will throw more light on the issue. With a gala announcement and a lot of ribbon cutting the industrial unit at verna was opened up -- but after almost 15 years of its set up, not much is visible except the notable expansion of the Kesarval Motel, owned by Luzinho Faleiro -- and the world knows what contributed to its growth. SEZs are not harmful, in fact the world over special economic zones are a boon to industrialisation and businesses...but at this moment, instead of concentrating on improving the basic infrastructure in Goa like wider and more better roads, highways, construction of more dams to tap the freely available rain water and to control the large scale pollution done by minning, the cunning foxes in the Goa government are trying to byte more than they can chew, as they know the mantra that goes like ...make hay while the sun shines...and they are not sure if they will retain their kodels when the sun rises the next day morning!!! how disgusting this? Goa doesnt even have a proper airport to accomodate large scale progress that would happen vis a vis SEZs...It has been a year the proposed 500 Cr sanction from the central government to expand Dabolim airport is yet to reach GOA, while on the other hand an unsteady CM makes almost two trips a day to Delhi-Goa and back.?/? Take for example the fancied commercial capital of MARGAO -- the very constituency represented by our CM for serval terms...Margao lies in shambles...bad roads, failing electricity supply, gambling, prostitution, robberies, parking spaces, lack of health care facilities are some of the basic hardships that are faced by the public. Digamber Kamat boasts of musical fountains and beautification projects like Ana Fonte, but what is the use of providing a hairbrush to a bald man? A hungry populace needs bread not cake? a dying man needs medicines not a guarantee that he/she would have a honourable funeral?// It is also very sad that the public in Goa is made to believe that everything the Government does is for their good alone -- the press is biased and therein the ruling parties choke the voice of the people...the information spread through a controlled press is not people centric but politician centric...reminds us of Salazarshahi! The police force is controlled by the ruling parties to dance to their tunes, peoples rebellions and revolts are crushed prematurely by using force. And if the public puts up a brave and a strong front, some of its members are given offers they cant refuse and thereby the movement is broken up... See the roles played by several NGOs in Goa...the aam aadmi has lost faith in them...completely and see through the dark mask that they wear. If the politicians have to promote SEZs, i guess they have to get their act right in first improving the plight of the common man and stop selling Goa further to outsiders and the rich and the famous. The Goan youth should be given preference in employment, and the virus of bribes should be totally eradicated. The other day, some factions of the ruling Congress washed dirty linen in public, by acusing several top politicians of fraud and commissions in the allocation of spaces at the SEZs....isnt this proof enough to show that the ruling Congress is a house divided? And that there is a serious breakdown of control of corruption in the associates of the ruling dispension? It is time, there is a revolution, a people's movement that creates an awarness in each and every village/constituency against the large scale corruption and selling of Goa in the name of SEZs. We had great hope recently in organisations like the GBA, but after a year, successful political wheeler dealers have managed to create wide cracks in groups like the GBA...and the Goan masses are begining to realise the ugly players in the whole ugly game. Pray Goa will see better faces in the political arena, who will care to bring prosperity to this once beautiful land and not to their wallets, families and offsprings. Regards Cedric da Costa Dubai __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
