Eye Spy appears in Gomantak Times every Monday
Which, advertising or, promoting itself?
It goes on. The Tourism Department pays Netmagic Rs11,000 per month as maintenance charges for its website www.goatourism.org, probably the industry's most boring official website. It has three windows to open on the home page, one, a warning to tourists not to drown in Goa's seas, the other on GTDC's hotels and the third regales surfers of its attendance at tourism exhibitions abroad. Naturally, Goa's Flying Circus has to explain its huge expenditure. You have to check out the website to begin to believe its ignorance and lack of information. It paid Rs2400 as website domain name renewal charges and Rs40,000 as website hosting charges.
Air strike
Statutory Warning: Reading this could be injurious to your health.
In 2004 the department paid Rs4,00,00,000 to advertise on BBC, Rs5,00,00,000 between Sept-Nov 2005, Rs1,51,52,400 between Nov-Dec 2006, Rs1,19,11,358 in March 2007 and Rs2,98,96,491 between Aug-Oct 2007. A total of Rs14,69,60,240 for god knows what purpose because the BBC is not exactly everybody's first choice even in the UK where there are currently 835 radio stations, 512 television channels, 1,596 newspapers, and 1,931 magazines, if my Google search was accurate. The BBC itself has BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament and the channel on which the department advertises is its external service, probably hardly viewed in the UK! There is also ITV, Channel 3, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. It paid Ten Sports Rs2,42,44,000 to advertise in February 2006 alone and Rs2,63,76,394 to advertise on Euronews between Jan-March 2007. Did the department investigate the options before it? Yes, it says, but the evidence is to the contrary because Euronews hardly has viewers in England and cannot compete across Europe with local channels who rightly have a regional bias. And why advertise on Indian channels? By the way, if it somehow escaped your attention, the figures are in crores.
The Soap opera goes on
And here's more. In 2003 it paid Star Plus Rs68,90,000 to advertise, Rs2,95,00,000 in 2004 and Rs4,60,00,00 between Sept-Nov 2005. Total Rs8,23,90,000. It paid Zee TV Rs98,49,060 to advertise between Nov-Dec 2006, Rs3,76,95,937 between Aug-Sept 2007 (total Rs4,75,44,997) and Rs81,93,500 to NDTV to advertise between Nov-Dec 2006.
Governors
Should government vehicles too have governors? Considering the bullying ways of government drivers, their equally insensitive passengers and increasing numbers on the roads, yes. In 2005 the government bought 102 vehicles, 157 in 2006 and 54 in 2007. That is 313 vehicles driving in a radius that from the evidence, I have encompasses primarily the Panjim area and the usual routes police vehicles use. Mind, you this does mean the government has only 313 vehicles. These are just 3-year figures. The most egotistic buys came from guess where, the Secretariat, where Goa new age rulers preside. They randomly bought Mitsubishi Lancers, Honda City's/Accents's. Added up it worked out to a whopping Rs1,23,59,864 of wheels. The Directorate of Agriculture preferred the rugged but gas guzzling Mahindra Marshal's and Sumo's. So did most other government departments. But not the high profile Sports Authority of Goa which bought two Chevrolet Tavera's and two Tata Indica's for a total cost of Rs17,28,301, while the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs bought a Qualis and a Sumo for Rs8,99,486. The two departments, you might have noticed on the roads love to pool their resources and therefore share their vehicles. But, imagine the number of turf pitches that could have been laid with the money spent on wheels. Remember also Pandurang Madkaikar, VM Prabhudesai, Mario Pinto, Brahmanand Shankhawalkar and Bruno Coutinho also jetted off to the World Cup 2006? Cost Rs7,12,439.
What an Idea!
Before he took off to Australia stitching the BCCI with his flight tab, Dayanand Narvekar hassled officials to move files quickly for his mobile roaming facility; he demanded was crucial to keep in touch with his office. Really now. How petty can you get? And why didn't BCCI foot that bill too?
Positive negative
It's official. You are not allowed to have a negative mindset or oppose what this government proposes. Only MLA's can do that even if it means opposing development like the kind the MPT dreams up. In this case three MLA's opposed it. Mauvin Godinho, whose constituency is not affected, presumptuously warning MPT it would face the wrath of the people of Vasco then audaciously hijacking the protest completely. Where was he when the dissent first began? Wasn't he on the wrong side when the people of Chicalim opposed the invasive expansion plans of Bharati Shipyard. You want proof of the pudding? How did the MoU between MPT and the Mormugao Bachao Abhiyan (MBA) include MPT's no-objection to Bharati's expansion plans that was not even remotely linked to the protest. It was people's power that won the fight and not political power because the government committee of politicians formed to address the issue of the MPT suddenly expanding its kingdom to include the Chicalim bay and the river Sal has not spent a moment over the issue. By the way the Shipping Minister TR Baalu is on a mission to make money for himself and his party the DMK that is why MPT kick started the plan to take over what is left of Vasco. And which is why he dreamed up the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project that involves dredging at a cost of Rs. 2,500 cr up from Rs37.46 cr when the project was envisaged back in 1968.
(Feedback welcome 0832-2280935, 9822152164, lionroars.goa@gmail.com)
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