Basic services aren’t this government’s priority
One of the most numbing stories that a newspaper has to tell, amidst its triumphs of exposing corruption, taking on the government, and laying bare the process of administrative malfunctioning, are stories of denial and suffering during the course of daily living. Two of our front page stories in today’s edition, that we were pained to report fall in that zone.
One of Goa’s oldest schools founded in 1933 announced a complete shut down, as it closed enrolment for the higher classes after doing the same for classes V to VII in the previous academic session. This year not a single child enrolled. The school was an institute of great learning set up by Professor Vinayak Mahatme and its shut down has brought to an end a piece of Goa’s education history. But the pain magnifies when you know that because of the low enrolment, the school wasn’t entitled to the Rs 50 lakh grant from the government to improve infrastructure.
When legacies are held hostage to schemes and rules, institutions shut down. Mind you, the school did not want to close and had in-fact requested the government for alternate land and help to improve its infrastructure and facilities. The shutdown of Mahatme school is a symptom of a state that doesn’t appear to care for the basics, education being one. The landscape of Goa is pockmarked with schools with leaking roofs, no playgrounds, one classroom and difficult access. In Goa, size and distances aren’t as big impediments as UP, MP or Bihar. Getting a school repaired, having additional classrooms and adequate teachers isn’t rocket science. But when this happens in school after school across the state, then the government needs to assess its priorities.
The second story was one of two villages which everyone on the Panjim to Margao route passes through – Goa Velha and Agassaim. They are without water for days and this isn’t casual. They are not receiving even a drop of drinking water because the main pipeline to the village has burst. The question that we need to really ask is why is repairing a pipeline and getting water back into these villages not a priority. It can’t be a big deal because this needs no additional funds or a policy change. It needs the talathi, mamlatdar, the panchas and sarpanch and above all the local MLA working in tandem with the PWD to fix this. A story like this hurts because while the rich and the advantaged can have water tankers, the entire village cannot be catered to in this manner, when fixing a pipeline is all it takes.
The Goa (Right to citizens to time-bound delivery of public services) Act, 2013, “provides for delivery of public services to the people of the State of Goa within the stipulated time limit, including liabilities of Government servants in case of default, administrative efficiency and for the matters connected therewith and incidental thereto” Chief Minister Parrikar had said the implementation of the Act will bring relief to the common man and help to reduce corruption. For the people of Goa Velha and Agassaim, these words have become a cruel joke as there is not just time-bound delivery but timeless absence of services.
Sad stories both, to know that education and water are being denied in Goa’s capital and its adjoining villages. The replication of these twin tragedies is happening across. All Herald wants to know on behalf of the people of Goa is whether we deserve this and why should we continue to tolerate this? We ask the government to ensure that water is restored to Goa Velha and Agacaim within 24 hours and the Chief Minister make a personal appeal to the Mahatme school not to shut down and promise it land and funds to restore it to its former glory.
