The three monkeys
Mahatma Gandhi has long been associated with the three monkeys. One, with eyes covered, sees no evil. The second, with ears covered, hears no evil. The third, with mouth covered, speaks no evil. Apparently, the father of the nation actually didn’t invent the three monkeys; the image predates him by centuries. Notwithstanding, what is clear is that the Goa government’s Tourism Department can effectively become all three monkeys rolled into one.
Apparently, the Department has informed the Calangute police that it would not be able to tell whether copper wires worth over Rs6 crore were stolen from the ship MV River Princess, which is grounded off Candolim Beach. It says “the government” had not prepared an inventory of the things in the ship or conducted a panchnama before taking possession of the vessel in 2002.
How very odd.
We thought all this while that the Tourism Department was part of “the government”. But now that it has passed the buck by informing the Calangute police that this mysterious entity it calls “the government” failed to carry out an inventory of the contents of the ship, it becomes clear that this government department is ready to disown even its very own parent, to avoid blame and pass the buck. It is like that other mysterious entity, called “the system”, which the activists that plague these departments always blame for everything.
The police last week registered a theft case after the Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) directed the Calangute police to file a first information report (FIR). Ketan Govekar of St Inez, Panjim, and Kashinath Shetye of Ribandar made a complaint to the Calangute police earlier this month that the theft had taken place after inspection by government departments like the Tourism Department, the Goa Coastal Regulation Zone Management Authority (GCRZMA), River Navigation, Panchayats, Inland Waterways and salvage companies.
Mr Govekar and Mr Shetye alleged that copper wires worth Rs6 crore and 21 lakh were stolen from the ship by unknown persons in connivance with the original owner, and asked the Calangute police to file an FIR under Sections 378, 379, 461, 462, 120B and 34 IPC, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and conduct a thorough inquiry.
The police were the first to pass the buck. They forwarded the complaint to the North Goa Collector and the Director of Tourism to “confirm” whether a theft had happened. As usual, there was no response. Then the Tourism Department said that it would not be able to confirm whether a theft had occurred, as there is no official record of any inventory or panchanama done of the ship. It was the “government” that failed to do this, it claimed.
The question is not whether there actually were copper wires on the ship or not. The question is, who was responsible for doing the inventory when the government was granted custody of the ship? Why was it not done? And, most important of all, what action is going to be taken against this person, who has caused such a huge loss to the public exchequer.
Stand up!
Congratulations to the CCP for actively fighting against political interference that protects illegal constructions. A demolition order issued by the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) to an illegal construction atop a heritage structure in Panjim, was quashed by Minister for Urban Development Joaquim Alemao as the appellate authority.
But the CCP took the matter to the High Court, which directed that a court notice be issued in the matter. Bravo!
