Goa surely needs intelligent, hard working, efficient and enterprising bureaucrats and elected representatives. We had the good fortune of having had sufficiently and sometimes highly qualified, talented and competent chief ministers. Very sadly, none of them measured up to our expectations. In fact, when we pinned all our hopes on them – that they would use their talents and skills to provide us with the best possible and people centric governance, we were not only betrayed but even deceived. Manohar Parrikar is unfortunately one of them. His deceit is as strong as his conceit for he tends to underestimate people’s intelligence and knowledge, sure that his efforts at eluding them have succeeded.
Goans will remember the sustained agitation against SEZs, where lands were fraudulently allotted for the purpose at Verna, Keri and Sancoale flouting all rules and regulations. In the cases filed by respective villagers, led by Franky Monteiro from Loutulim, the High Court, convinced of the fraud in allotment of these lands, granted the first prayer cancelling the allotment. The Court was, however, surprisingly silent on the second and third prayers which asked for return of lands to the villagers to enable them to decide on their use, particularly for public utility projects and the accountability of people involved in the fraudulent allotment. Dissatisfied with the HC ruling, both parties appealed in the Supreme Court – the SEZ Promoters, minus one of them, challenging the cancellation of the allotment and Franky praying for grant of other two prayers. The situation as of now is that the SC has directed status quo, pending final hearing.
Our C M, while in Opposition, supported the opponents of the SEZs and even wanted to lead the agitation. He also vociferously opposed Digambar Kamat’s attempts at negotiating with the SEZ promoters to monetarily compensate them for the losses they had incurred on their initial investment.
The SEZ scam perpetrated by the Congress is sought to be perpetuated by this government which had earlier strongly and rightly opposed all the misadventures of the Congress. Parrikar has now announced that he plans to give to SEZ promoters 30% of the land earlier allotted to them, in return for withdrawal of their appeal in Supreme Court. What are Parrikar’s reasons to anticipate that the SC will reverse the HC order cancelling the allotment? Is he putting in doubt the integrity of SC Judges and the competence of the High Court which ordered the cancellation of the allotment, after careful study of gross illegalities and frauds? In fact, the HC order is so well substantiated and so strongly worded because of umpteen irregularities and mischief that it is very unlikely that it will be reversed by SC. So who is Parrikar trying to deceive? Aren’t his reasons highly suspect?
