Eye Spy appears in Gomantak Times every Monday
Beach of a party
For long 5-star hotels using their own staff and social clubs deploying disinclined students have used beach cleaning as a photo opportunity. Why, because its only done at the beginning of each tourist season. You never see starred hotels cleaning their own sea fronts during the season when their guests are actually dirtying them. That is one of the reasons why Goa's beaches are dirty 24x7 through the tourist season? The Tourist Department thinks no and has proof even if it's pure spoof to prove its point. It spent millions of taxpayers money cleaning the beaches from Pernem to Canacona in 2005-06.
Sweep(stakes)
Murali Builders (Contractor) Siridao, Bambolim (name of beach) 54777 pm
Jan-April 05 (cost with period)
Manguesh K Kaskar, Vagator, Mandrem, Keri, 33300 pm
Jan-April 05
Murali Builders, Bogmalo, Baina, 99777 pm
Jan-April 05
Rosario Santan Fernandes, Cavelossim, Varca, Fatrade, Benaulim, Colva, Betalbatim, Majorda, Utorda & Velsao, 174,600 pm
Jan-April 05
Pratap Virnekar, Anjuna, Arambol, Morjim, 33300 pm
Jan-April 05
GU Haldankar, Palolem, Agonda, Morjim, 156,000 pm
Jan-April 05
Lions Club of Arpora-Nagoa-Parra; Nerul, Sinquerim,
Candolim, Calangute, 87000 pm
Jan-March 05
Vinod Kumar Ghanta, Terekhol, Keri, 57300 pm
June 3, 05-June 30, 06
Roy Vaz, Arambol, 57300 pm
Ref Lite India, Mandrem, 67300 pm
Ramesh Metals, Morjim, 57300 pm
Manguesh Kaskar, Anjuna, Vagator, Ozrant, 105,000 pm
Venkateshwara Constr, Calangute, 93000 pm
Pratap Virnekar, Candolim, 86000 pm
Ramesh Metals, Nerul, 30850 pm
Brian Enterprises, Caranzalem, Dona Paula, 43900 pm
Murali Builders, Bambolim, Siridao, Baina, 114,312 pm
RS Fernandes, Velsao, Betalbatim, 113,000
Satya Sudhir Ghanta, Colva, 51260 pm
Jaju Enterprises, Benaulim, Sernabatim, 57300 pm
BR Pereira, Zalor, Fatrade, Varca, 44750 pm
Juveena Vaz, Cavelossim, 44700 pm
Gauresh Naik, Betul, Canaguinim, Cabo de Rama, 43000 pm
GU Haldankar, Patnem, Talpona, Galgibag, Agonda, Pallolem, 113,000 pm
(Where dates not mentioned, the period is June 3, '05 to June 30, '06)
Murphy's Law
Though, I asked for details of workers employed, some figures were not given implying the department did not care to know how its money was spent. The tenders awarded to Bogmolo-Baina boggles the imagination because Baina beach is a virtual open-air toilet on one half while the other half has no tourists, no shacks and no restaurants. It never had. Therefore there's no cause to term it "beach cleaning" as you and I know and understand it. The half that is not used as an open air toilet is used by fishermen to keep their canoes and boats. Murali Builders was inexplicably paid big money to clean beaches where comparatively few tourists go (or none go as in the case of Baina and Bambolim) whereas in beaches where thousands of tourists throng almost till midnight, less money was spent. It doesn't make sense. Maybe for the tourism department, Murphy's Law operates: the lesser a beach is used, the more dirty it gets, so you pay more!
Taken to the cleaners
Since the government works in mysterious ways, forgive me for stretching the possibilities a bit. Is it possible the Ghanta's are related or are the same person that would then make one of them a benami name? Agonda has less than a handful of hotels and no beach life –it has two beach pubs. Yet it was clubbed with Pallolem and Galibag and a huge (second highest) tender awarded. Then the following year Patnem and Talpona were added for a lesser tender cost but a 13-month period against the earlier period of four months. If this is not Murphy's Law than it has to be plain and simple mockery of your tax money. Also, compare the two Calangute tenders, price wise and the number of workers employed, and you stay convinced none of this makes sense.
Numerology, perhaps?
Forgive me for suspecting too, that the contractors appear to have applied numerology to their equations. Thus, it appears Murali Builders may have a penchant for the figures '777' and for the number 9. Because, in 54,777, 5 and 4 add up to 9 and this number appears twice in 99,777. And he may have applied the so-called science when he quoted the figure '114312.' Numerology again, because 1,1,4 add up to 6, while 3,1,2 also add up to 6. Else, how could Murali Builders end up with the number '2' in a straightforward quotation where no percentages are involved or VAT is levied. Or could it be just cooking the books as they say, almost contemptuously. In 2006-07 beach cleaning was not tendered and for 2007-08 the tenders have just been forwarded to the government that means right this moment the beaches are not being cleaned. But then, when did anyone ever clean them, the photo opportunities notwithstanding. Now you know why Narvekar's ministry is sitting on the tender file and that is the reason also why the Grape Escape expenditure file is also maturing in the Secretariat.
Saying it with roses
Earlier this month I suggested a flower park instead of a food park at Quepem. The TANFLORA Infrastructure Park expects to export 70m cut roses by 2008-09. It is the world's fourth largest floriculture park and exports all its produce earning India valuable forex. The AEZ near Hosur is eco-friendly and completely free of controversy. There are no issues like building malls, hotels and theatres under the garb of facilities or the involvement of realtors disguised as floriculture farmers. But then governments in the south generally listen to the voices of the people and want to keep precious land for future generations. Another example is the Kerala's government starting a company called Kerala Aqua Ventures International with a 49 % stake that cost it only Rs15 cr to export ornamental fish. An imported Arowana Dragon Fish can be bred and sold in China for Rs2.5 lakh is one example I was given. True, there's a goldmine in Goa's backyard, but it needs politicians with vision and not with an eye on lining their own pockets.
(Feedback welcome 0832-2280935, 9822152164, lionroars.goa@gmail.com)
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