Team Herald
PANJIM: Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vijai Sardesai has said that an “insensitive bureaucracy” is affecting the State administration and not just the sickness of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar alone.
“It is not only the sickness of the chief minister that is affecting the administration, but it is also an insensitive bureaucracy that is leading to maladministration, that is also leading to Goans not getting the service they deserve,” he said.
Citing an example of bureaucracy failure, he recalled that a year ago he had announced that the government would waive off infrastructure tax for Goans wanting to construct a house up to 250 sq meters of area. “But till date that is not implemented as the proposal itself is not cleared. It is dancing between Law Department and the Advocate General,” he said.
Sardesai said that the proposal would have given relief to the common Goans by saving up to Rs 50,000 which is paid as infrastructure tax. “This is an announcement made on the floor of the House. It is a solemn promise to the people of Goa. It needs to be implemented. This is due to insensitive bureaucracy,” he said.
He recalled that the chief minister, before falling ill, had pulled up officers for such acts but there still is no change.
Sardesai, who is also minister for agriculture, took the case of officers of the agriculture department by pointing out why results of reforms are not seen on ground. He questioned them whether they visit the fields to understand the problems faced by the farmers and why youth are not coming forward.
“I have been a protagonist in clearing all the promotions, regularisations that were pending in the department. I have done that with an expectation that you will give me back with your enthusiasm,” he said.
He said that all including he went to agriculture college with a dream to keep Goa green but wondered if it had been achieved.
“Last year we spoke about mechanisation. Have we achieved our target of mechanisation? Or we just talked?”the Minister asked.
