Lying by govts, the new normal
Lying to the people is now the ‘new normal’. One may recall that even in the case of security of the nation there was denial of Chinese occupying Indian Territory. What is the backdoor dealing/agreement between Goa-Karnataka-Delhi? Is it that Goa with her two Lok Sabha seats does not matter to Delhi? With two seats you need a spine to stand up to Delhi.
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Say what you want about the late Parrikar but he did have that spine. If you are beholden to Delhi for your seat you will not look after Goa’s interest but blindly follow the dictates of Delhi. Goans want Mhadei waters and mining to start but what she is getting is double tracking, coal and tree cutting.
What we are witnessing is that a government with a huge majority does not guarantee that the interest of the State will be the priority. What it has guaranteed is stability for MLAs’ self-interest. Finally around 14 Congressmen have jumped ship to form this stable government, we the people need the right to change our votes too!
DC Dias, Taleigao
Freezing of DA & DR of employees
Dearness Allowance (DA) & Dearness Relief (DR) is linked with the consumer price index, as already accepted by the government. DA and DR is the Fundamental Right of an Employee and Pensioner respectively, therefore, withholding this Compensation Package from Jan-2020, meant for sustenance against price rise, is unacceptable under any circumstances. The government should take note that, DA and DR provision is meant to facilitate survival of the Employee and Pensioner against erosion of Wages and Pension.
Freezing of Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief is a blatant violation of the provision of Article 360 of the Constitution of India. Emphasising on the need for the money to the retired personnel from the government is important for them to survive honourably. On the other side the union FM claiming that India’s economy has improved and the government may start reversing the steps taken to meet the crisis. There is rising inflation and witnessed the hike in petrol and diesel prices, and other essential commodities, which had a direct impact on common man, especially the government servants and pensioners.
KG Vilop, Chorao
Contentious agriculture laws
The ongoing farmers’ protest have ramifications to the contentious three agri laws passed by the BJP which in a nutshell exposes the chinks in the armour of the government’s arsenal.
Normally, farmers have enough wherewithal to supply their goods to an ‘APMC’ (Govt wholesale market) where they get the least minimum support price (MSP) and this process has been going on for quite some time without any disruption. The Government has now promulgated three new farm laws which directly deal with the supply chain. They want the farmers to do their own marketing and seek whatever price they want subject to their customer is willing to pay which sounds innocuous, but the fact remains that the farmer needs the wherewithal to do their own marketing.
If the farmer is faced with Corporates, it’s more likely that he will have to back down to get a remunerative price for his produce. This is what the ordinary farmer is afraid of as in the case of dispute, he cannot approach the court for reddressal of his grievance as the government has enacted crafty laws by smart lawyers to outwit the farmers.
Everette Assis Telles, Margao
Double tracking strategy
The current double tracking issue has given rise to a conflict of interests. Solving the same needs negotiations between the two sides responsible for the conflict. Which are these two sides? These are neither the Railways nor the track laying contractors. True, both these parties will be at fault during the execution, as seen these days. This is true even with the laying of the bridges: where do they get the mud for the approach roads?
We know a friendly MLA ‘leased’ out his hill to the contractor who was raising the same for rubble. The MLA was not ‘cheated’: you can be sure about that. The Railways has been constantly saying that they only execute the works and not decide on the same: that only the Govt can instruct them to stop work.
The local stakeholders must know this: whom should they negotiate with? They are wasting time confronting the Railways. The local and the Central Govt are the decision makers. Both belong to the BJP with the local Govt having no guts to oppose the Centre. The strength in the Goa Assembly is totally with the ruling party. So, what is the goal we are looking at? Who and where do we see the solution coming from? Only then can you negotiate. How to ensure the local Govt comes to favour the locals?
In the assembly, they made it amply clear which side they are on. So, the balance in the Assembly must shift. The 12 defectors were not elected on the BJP ticket. They owe allegiance to the people who did not vote the BJP. Here is the ‘party’ they need to negotiate with. Once the local Govt sides with the locals, then step 2 will be reached: negotiate with the Centre. For this, the majority of the MLAs cannot be in the BJP: they cannot have one foot there and shoot their mouth off the other side.
The current strategy has no goal and will only delay the inevitable.
R Fernandes, Margao
Who had to bell the cat in Mhadei case?
So the cat is out of the bag, and it has been let out by none other than the senior counsel appointed by the State government to argue its case on the Mhadei issue in the Supreme Court. A while back Hon’ble CM had sworn that the river is like his mother and would be treated as such, now if this is not matricide then I don’t know what is.
Precise and unambiguous instructions were given to the government’s advocate not to oppose the notification of the tribunal awarding a significant portion of the waters to Karnataka. This is an act of omission almost criminal in nature, carried out obviously on the directions of the Centre.
Following vociferous protest from the opposition, the CM in a lame face saving measure mentioned that the concerned advocate has been disempanelled from the body representing Goa in the Apex Court. This too is filibuster since the gentleman concerned has stated that he has withdrawn of his own accord as he had no time to spare from his extensive tax and constitutional law practice.
In another development the government has been falsely tom tomming its achievements to have made the State open defecation free (ODF). Shockingly the Goa Waste Management Corporation recently stated that mobile toilets, (many without water or sewerage connections) were temporarily installed at 325 locations for 30 days so that Goa could be shown as ODF in the books by August 2019 and reap consequent benefits.
Heaven knows what has happened to those toilets now, one only has to travel on the Verna-Dabolim road early morning to see how ODF the State really is.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Budget, a big setback for the poor man
Budget 2021 is long on hope and short on fear. The Finance Minister has produced a historic paperless budget with growth as the core.
The move to go for higher borrowing and privatise some PSU banks is a seminal change and cheered the markets. But the budget has come as a big disappointment for the man on the street, battered by job loss, pay cuts and higher inflation in 2020.
NJ Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
