Two incidents of the past two days prove that the administration in the State is collapsing at a rapid pace. In one instance the Electricity Department kept an entire taluka and various other areas around the taluka in darkness to shift the high tension lines from over a property at Kadamba plateau that belongs to a builder. Calls from beleaguered residents of the area drew no response from the department officials, except of extending deadlines. In the other instance, police have been reluctant to take action over a complaint of assault filed by anti-PDA activists that forced a group to protest outside the police station in Old Goa demanding action.
The stark reality of a government limping from one day to the next, unable to take decisions – whether strong or otherwise – is now visible. The long absence of the Chief Minister is definitely leading to a lack of governance. This inability by the ministers to take a decision is surfacing regularly, and it is the State and its people who are suffering. There is still no solution in sight to the mining stoppage. The draft of the review petition that the government intends to file in the Supreme Court has still not been cleared by the Solicitor General. The decision to file the review petition was itself delayed by the State, now the delay has got even longer.
But, it’s not just decisions of such importance that are not being taken or face delays. The fact that the government in the State cannot take even a simple decision in the interests of the citizens was obvious when the Chief Minister had to call up his minister in Goa to tell him not to have power shutdowns of over an hour. This, after the capital city went a day and most of the night without power. This is an indication of a government, or what is left of it in the State, being non-functional. It is a government that is not receptive to the woes of the people. Almost like a lame duck government that sits in office during the pre-poll period when a code of conduct is in force.
And to add to the woes, the State is left with a Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) that is one short. And as pointed out by the main opposition party Congress, the functioning of the CAC, formed to guide the administration in the absence of the Chief Minister, has turned defunct as it has been reduced to two – PWD Minister Ramkrishha Dhavalikar and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai – following the departure of UD Minister Francis D’Souza on a month-long holiday to Portugal. D’Souza, being the representative of the BJP, which is the major party in the coalition, in the CAC had the added responsibility of conveying that party’s views on matters of policy and governance. With his absence, the committee’s continuation comes under question, especially since the two remaining members are political rivals, both nursing chief ministerial dreams.
An absent CM, a CAC reduced in number; where does the State go from here?
It’s over three months since Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar took ill, he is currently in the US undergoing treatment and there is no firm date of his return to Goa. The cabinet has not met since February taking decisions through circulation. This calendar year the State Legislative Assembly saw a truncated session, during which the Budget was tabled and a vote on account passed. The monsoon session is due in the coming month, when the Budget has to be discussed and passed. The government needs to return to governance, before the administration collapses further.
