I have been watching the Goa Assembly proceedings for quite some time now, and have been saddened that the Government would be unrelenting on many important and relevant issues raised by the Opposition, as if to mean “say what you like, we will do what we want. We have the majority”. This is not the way a democracy functions, if, at all, we can call ours one. It is the duty of the Opposition to provide constructive criticism and bring to the notice of the Government its wrongs and shortcomings and incumbent upon the Government to listen and make amends, wherever necessary,
However, in the current monsoon session, it was heartening to observe that the Government seems less arrogant, more sensitive and accommodative. The first commendable gesture was when the CM decided to drop the so-called “privilege” issue against Congress MLA, Altone D’Costa, though I feel that the latter was right in demanding that it be referred to Privileges Committee and not made to apologize. The Government also gave in to the demand of allowing educational institutions to open their accounts with any Bank, and not necessarily with Axis Bank, as earlier wrongly mandated by Education Dept.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
It was gratifying to note that the Social Welfare Minister agreed to issue Senior Citizen cards to those eligible, within a month, to facilitate benefits available to them. It may be noted that in Margao, Senior Citizen cards have not been issued for over 3.5 months now, on the pretext that the concerned staff had been deputed for election duty.
A welcome measure announced in the Assembly was also that mandatory registration would be needed for body guards and bouncers. This was absolutely necessary, as such muscle men and women are being used at will, particularly by the violators of law to instil terror on peaceful and law abiding citizens.
It was comforting to note that the CM assured to provide tap water, within 15 days, to those who didn’t have it. His candid admission that 24 hours water cannot be made available to everyone, at the moment, also needs to be appreciated.
Digambar Kamat’s proposal to the Government to provide shelters for homeless beggars, is to be commended. These people prefer to beg outside rather than go to shelters, even when offered. A new assured policy on stray dogs, within 3 months, also needs to be welcomed, as the menace of these animals. Is posing a danger to tourists and other pedestrians.
As a regular critic of the Government but nonetheless one who believes that, rather rarely though, the Government needs a pat on the back, at least when it acknowledges its drawbacks, constraints and limitations, I am happy to observe a definite change in the attitude of the Government and especially of the CM who often sounded arrogant and intransigent. There are, of course, many other issues which need urgent attention and it is hoped that the Government will be more relenting and sensitive on people-centric matters
Meanwhile, since the Government is in rather welcoming mood, may I suggest that it considers Romi also as a recognized script for our official language, which will make a great section of Konkani lovers happy and that it bans Sunburn from Goa itself, as it is prejudicial to our Youth and not all revenue earning events or professions are good for our society.
