TEAM HERALD

bureau@herald-goa.com

CANACONA: His trip to push for a separate Lions District for Goa nearly proved costly, when a Lions Club leader from Ponda was seriously injured in a bus mishap that killed three people while injuring several others on June 11.

The mishap has exposed the growing rift among Lions Clubs from Goa and Karnataka, currently affiliated to the same Lions District.

Narrating the details to Herald, a senior Lions Club member and a director on Goa Lions Ad hoc committee Mario Fernandes from Canacona informed that Goa Lions Ad hoc Committee Convener Ram Parihar and another Lions Club member Rajendra Patel were traveling to Mumbai when the ill-fated bus met with an accident.

The two Lions Club leaders were also injured in the mishap and were hospitalized, before returning back to Goa.

“The ill-fated bus had left from Panjim on June 11 and met with the accident at about midnight at Ratnagiri. Parihar was travelling specifically to meet Lions Past International President Dr Ashok Mehta and Lions South-Asian Secretariat Chief Nevelle Mehta at Mumbai to pursue the Goa Lions’ request for a separate district,” informed Fernandes.

“Parihar and Patel lost their mobiles, money, and belongings, as both were badly injured in the accident and were admitted in two different hospital near Ratnagiri.”

According to E. Agnelo da Silva, who accompanied Parihar’s family members to meet the injured Parihar in the hospital, Parihar was determined to get a new district for the Goa Lions Clubs.

“Referring to his mishap, Parihar said ‘there is no success without sacrifice’ and was determined to pursue a separate Lions District exclusively for Goa state,” said da Silva.

At present, the various Lions Clubs of Goa are part of the Lions District 324-D2, which also comprises Lions Clubs from parts of Karnataka.

Many Lions Clubs in the State have alleged step-motherly treatment and a lack of interest and funding to Goan projects in the district.

Moves are reportedly afoot for a long time to demand a separate district for the Goa Lions Clubs, but it has reportedly met with stiff opposition.

Sources informed that two special conventions held in this context have failed to get necessary mandate for a bifurcation.

“The post of district governor, elections to which are held every year, is continuously held by Lions members from Karnataka, as they defeat Goan candidates by virtue of having a majority of members from Karnataka. This has apparently been the bone of contention for the lions clubs in Goa,” said Mario Fernandes.

Added da Silva: “We have the required membership and club strength. It is for our own sake that we are demanding a separate district exclusively for Goa. The recent international Lions board polity also favours the formation of a separate district.”

Da Silva has unsuccessfully fought four successive elections to the post of vice-district governor, with the hope of eventually occupying the coveted post of district governor.