Hidden figures, tall claims
Once again, we are reminded that it’s risky to go by the
official claims. A report (‘KTC’s liability touches whopping
Rs 48 crore’, Herald, May 18) reminds us of the
need to both be careful while accepting the official word for
it, and also for more stringent efforts by the citizen’s groups
and watchdog bodies—which hardly exist—to ensure that
tonnes of public money is not just washed down the drain,
thanks to inefficiency, corruption and a bloated bureaucracy.
While everyone and their dog is well aware that the Kadamba
Transport Corporation is hardly an epitome of efficiency, it
comes as a surprise indeed to learn that its loan liability is a
huge Rs 48 crore, as the news reports have told us.
Apparently, the KTC Limited has been taking loans and not
paying back the same. There is talk of other money allocated
to the KTCL being diverted to the public works department,
and also the huge additional burden that the corporation has
had to cope with after the Sixth Pay Commission. The KTC
itself has an estimated staff of 1900.
If KTC has such a huge staff, is the corporation’s results
commensurate with its inputs and expenditure? While corporations
like the KRC might be a good place to accommodate
political supporters, it cannot just keep on expanding while
not managing to offer results that Goa badly needs by way of
public transport efficiency. Its poor results means that entire
Goa suffers from severe inefficiencies when it comes to transport
and communication.
Another transport-related infrastructural project, the Konkan
Railway, recently called itself “a dream come true” and an “art
of engineering marvel”. It boasted about bringing down its
net losses (from Rs 79 to 10 crore), and hiking its operational
surplus (from Rs 224 crore to Rs 741 crore).
These figures might seem impressive, but they definitely
hide the reality. There were so many tall promises made when
the Konkan Railway project was being justified, and also its
failure to stick to a build-operate-transfer model.
By now, it should have paid back all its loans and have been
part of the Indian Railway network. Not only is this not
achieved, but it it is still a single-track railway hopelessly inadequate
to meet even inter-State transport needs, let alone
replace the Goa-Mumbai buses as was once claimed it would!
Other government-run corporations too make tall claims,
and beat loud drums when they give governments a divident
cheque. But such claims need to be measured against the
crores invested in such bodies over the years, and also the
fact that they have built up assets often based on undervalued
public resources which don’t get adequately factored in.
Government-run bodies need to deliver far more on accountability
and efficiency.
Not by bans alone
Asign of the time of today’s Goa is the way in which
everyone is playing politics over the Margao Narkasura
blasts. Chief minister Digambar Kamat is playing it safe,
in his usual please-all style, and obviously doesn’t want to
risk alienating any voters.
Opposition BJP and its leader Manohar Parrikar has long
been indulging in double-speak over this, and attempting to
hunt with the hare and run with the hound. Since the BJP has
some ideological affinity—and possible rivalry too—with the
Sanathan Sanstha, this stand is not surprising. Even prominent
ruling coalition politicians like Dhavlikar have their own interests
at stake.
The issue is not whether the Sanatan gets banned or not.
The question is a far wider one: how sincere Goa is when it
comes to dealing with communalism. It’s time everyone quit
playing on words and stop taking refuge behind semantics.
Goa needs to give a strong message that it will not tolerate
any attempts to wreck the peace between communities.
But, given the nature of politics here, and also the fact that
sections of the media have long been dabbling in thinly veiled
communalism, it would be surprising if this was actually attained.
