Goa began the year with a chief minister who, if he made a public appearance, this made front page news. Manohar Parrikar was unwell, and his New Year sortie to the office was akin to a new beginning to the administration that had gone into a slumber the previous February when the chief minister had taken ill. There was hope that the bureaucracy would get back on track. His other public appearance that month was at the inauguration of the third bridge over River Mandovi, connecting Panjim with Porvorim, where he quoted from the movie ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ and asked the crowd, “How’s the Josh?” It was a line that drew a tremendous response from the crowd that had gathered on the bridge, with a resounding “High, Sir”. 

This line from the film was especially touching, since it came from an ailing chief minister and was from a movie, which told the story of the surgical strike by India after the terrorist attack in Uri of September 2016. Parrikar was the Union Defence Minister when the surgical strike took place, and that made it even more appealing to the crowd. Parrikar’s stewardship of the government continued for almost two months after that, before the illness took him. Earlier this month, Parrikar’s successor as head of government, Dr Pramod Sawant, speaking on the birth anniversary of his predecessor said that the ‘josh’ had been transferred to him, and it was this that allowed him to work 16 hours a day.

In 2019, Goa went from a State with a chief minister who was almost unseen to a chief minister who is very visible throughout the land. Sawant, the chief minister, is a busy man. On a single day the chief minister travels from one corner of the State to another, his motorcade with sirens blaring announcing his imminent arrival. If he is in North Goa in the morning, he could be in South Goa in the evening and in a third place after the sun sets. He does work a 16-hour day, that is a definite. But, as Goa tidies up its accounts for the year 2019, and looks forward to new beginnings in 2020, can we say that the ‘josh’ is still high in the State?

Let’s look at what has changed this year for Goa. The State got a new government in March that in two major political surgeries strengthened itself numerically with imports from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and then from the Congress. With this accomplished, it dropped the crutches of the regional parties that were propping it up as a minority government, leading naturally to some friction, but this appeared to strengthen it, a quality that would permit it to take the decisions necessary for the State’s march into the next year, without having to listen to the allies. The government, however, has not been able to deliver on its development agenda, or make any changes that have been of benefit to the people. Many issues remain either burning, or in some cases simmering, as the current dispensation makes futile attempts to find solutions.

Take for instance the following: 

. The year started with traffic jams on the Agassaim-Cortalim stretch and is ending with no change to the situation. If at all there has been any change on the traffic management, then it definitely has not been for the better. The service road that had been promised to ease the traffic flow has not yet materialised, the plans still on the drawing board.

. At the beginning of the year, there has been the promise of restarting mining operations in Goa. Through the year that assurance was renewed every few weeks, deadlines were announced by which there would be an announcement, but there has been no revival of the sector. Only now, has the government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. But, more importantly, the government is yet to decide how it wants to restart mining – will it auction the mines, or will it form a mining corporation? And also, whether it will take adequate measures to protect the environment.

. Twice this year the State cabinet has taken decisions to extend the term of the offshore casinos in River Mandovi. Before, between and after these decisions no efforts have been made to find an alternative location for the vessels. This is a decision that has been pending for a long while. The casinos were to move out of the river, not this year, but years ago. They are still there.

. Goa’s financial situation remains quite precarious. Even the Chief Minister has admitted that the State’s finances are not sound. On the last day of the year, the State will auction another batch of securites worth Rs 381 crore. It has already, since last month in two auctions, sold stock worth Rs 300 crore.

. The State’s tourism industry is not in the best of health. Footfalls have dropped and even the peak Christmas week has not brought much cheer to the stakeholders. There is an uneasiness in the industry, especially among the smaller players, who fear that they may not be able to earn from tourism this year.

. And there have been a series of missed opportunities. Goa missed deadlines to present the Coastal Zone Management Plan, the Private Forest Report, host the National Games and was even fined for it. All this is now to be completed in 2020 and the Games too will now be held in October next year.

Against this background, and as the year comes to an end in less than 72 hours from now, just how high is the josh? Nothing much can change in these three days. The focus now is on the New Year and what it will bring. The issues that remain pending are many, and those listed above are just a few of them. But the New Year won’t bring anything different unless there is a plan, then a roadmap towards achievng that plan and after that action to bring it to reality. Goa has a task that has to be undertaken, and can’t depend on change coming about without any effort.