Princess diaries
The story of the MV River Princess has been one of unending disaster for the past 10 years. And just as we thought this profound tragedy was finally coming to an end, indications are that there are many more pages still to be written in the Princess diaries.
We have no time to lose. After holding out for years against the elements, the seaward side of the ship – grounded off Candolim Beach – has caved in, causing a part of the deck to subside. Personnel of Jaisu Shipping, the company that was last awarded the contract and did nothing to salvage the ship, asked to be rescued and taken off the vessel, as they felt the ship could break up anytime. Conscious of ongoing litigation, the authorities actually got them to sign a document saying they were leaving the ship at their own volition, before allowing the rescue operation to go ahead. It’s possible that the ship may break up even before this monsoon is through.
In these circumstances, it is shocking that the so-called State Disaster Management Committee, which floated a tender to break up and remove the ship and short-listed two tenderers, is likely to once more award the contract to an untested entity from overseas, in preference to a homegrown salvage outfit that has a sterling track record. Reports indicate that the committee seems impressed with the bid by Singapore-based Titan Salvage, and has asked company representatives to come to Goa and “give some more details” on its offer.
As they say, the devil is in the “details”. Assuming these “details” are large enough in quantity and given to the entire satisfaction of the key people in the committee, the contract, presumably, will go the way of the Singapore party. But will they make the MV River Princess go away? Or will they, like the so-called Crossland Salvage and Jaisu Salvage which bagged the contract earlier, simply put up their feet and let nature do their work for them; letting the ship corrode till it finally vanishes?
What’s wrong with our authorities? Here we have a Goa-based company that has salvaged a huge number of ships all over the country and in Goa. It has the best salvage record in India. It has even carried out a remarkably successful salvage operation on the monolithic rock statue of Buddha that sank in Hyderabad’s polluted, zero-visibility Husainsagar lake.
While the Singapore outfit has made no such commitment, the Madgavkars do all their work on a no-cure-no-pay basis. They’re here. They can’t run and they can’t hide. They’re really good at what they do. But, because of that and also because they are Goan, they have one BIG fault; they don’t pay kickbacks.
In the final analysis, is that what it all comes down to? Does nobody care about Goa?
Necessary?
The arrest and remand of Sonia Torrado, mother of the late Nadia Torrado, seems unnecessary and vindictive. It is the Crime Branch’s case that Sonia is required in custody to recover vital missing articles in the case. The police say she may “tamper with evidence” if released.
Sonia has been interrogated separately and together with Mickky Pacheco before the latter resigned and disappeared. Sonia didn’t run. If she really wanted to “tamper with evidence”, she has had more than a month to do so.
If the police were really “trying hard to retrieve” missing items vital importance, why didn’t they do anything about it all this time? If they need to “instil confidence in the minds of the witnesses” to come out of the fear and high handedness of prime accused Mickky Pacheco, how is the detention of a school teacher going to help?
Could this be the cops’ response to a certain complaint made to the Women’s Commission?
