Goa's flying circus is back

Around The World In 365 Days -2
If you remember this column of March 10, 2008 titled 'Around The World In 365 days' you would recall that Dayanand Narvekar spent Rs14,94,884 of your precious tax money flying to Mumbai and Dilli. That was from February 2, 2000 to March 3, 2007, the time frame I researched. Wobbly with trying to keep up with Goa's Flying Circus, I took a vacation on terra firma, if you please. I wrote then that in 2007 Narvekar flew 20 times, that's 20 flights in 12 months. Catch up now with Francisco Sardinha who logged on recently with his gaffe per month. Remember he said bullfights are for the aam aadmi. Now, Casinos are only for rich tourists because they don't come to Goa to sleep, he says. Sardinha's howlers fly as fast as his reasons to be airborne. Fasten your seat belts for take off.

Francisco Sardinha
23-24.01.00 Mumbai Rs7,552; 02-03.04.00 Delhi Rs22,020; 01-03.05.00 Mumbai Rs8,392; 24-28.04.00 Kathmandu Rs25,672; 24-28.02.00 Delhi via Mumbai Rs22,540; 18-22.05.00 Delhi/Mumbai & 20-23.06.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs68,184; 14-16.07.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs22,317; 21-22.08.00 Delhi/Mumbai, 26-27.08.00 Cochin, 28.08.00 Delhi Rs70,194; 30.8-07.09.00 Mumbai, 26-28.09.00 Delhi Rs21,575; 11-23.10.00 Sydney/Singapore Rs1,42,215. Total Rs4,10,661.

And to think that 21 years after achieving statehood there are some who feel it has given Goa an identity, a sense of dignity. Get a life please! Our politicians and IAS officers need to run to Delhi for every tidbit reason. Including for reasons of the former's proclivity for coup d'etat that requires them to scurry to Dilli often. Where's the dignity and freedom?

Administration of justice!
By a twist of fate, that is the title of the major accounting head under which these astronomical fees were paid to advocate general Subodh Kantak. As for Kantak's luck with his official earnings, what can I say? The man has the Midas touch. Representing a benevolent government Kantak I showed you last week earned Rs1,62,48,250 appearing in court between February 2005 and June 2007. There's plenty more. Kantak was paid Rs19,000 and Rs10,25,000 in January 2006. In August that year he was paid Rs19,000 and Rs7,45,000. In July Rs19,000 and Rs8,50,000. In June Rs Rs19,000 and Rs6,85,000. In May Rs19,000 and Rs2,20,000. In April Rs19,000 and Rs7,20,000. In March Rs19,000 and Rs8,55,000. In February Rs19,000 and Rs6,40,000. In December 2005 he was paid Rs19,000 and Rs5,90,000. In November Rs19,000 and Rs3,65,000. In October Rs19,000 and Rs3,75,000. In September Rs19,000 and Rs7,05,000. In August Rs19,000 and Rs7,70,000. In July 19,000 and Rs5,40,000. In June Rs9,500 and Rs1,05,000. Total Rs 94,65,500. The only other beneficiary was the union government as TDS at 7 per cent was deducted from these sums.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (& Women)

One of the first actions Digambar Kamat took after assuming office (he hadn't by then even appointed his permanent staff) was to call up the chief secretary and ask him to settle Kantak's bills. Kamat barely had time to perform other tasks because the week or so prior were occupied firefighting in Delhi. Outside his cabin were Srinivas Dempo, Ramakant Khalap and Pandurang Madkaikar, with their own agendas. I was inside Kamat's anteroom along with another outstation journalist interviewing him. That's how I know.

According to Aires Rodrigues whom the Goa University ought to confer an honorary doctorate for his research, the current fees for AG's was approved by the Pratapsingh Rane cabinet on September 21, 2006, and quickly notified on September 28 backdating the revised fees from April 1, 2005 April Fools day.

Rodrigues says Kantak appeared in the Bombay High Court on January 27, 2006 in the Saleli riots case bail applications of 102 accused and was paid 102 times Rs8000 i.e. Rs 8,16,000. Factualy, he made a common argument for the whole batch of bail applications and he should have claimed only Rs8000. In the PIL challenging the appointment of parliamentary secretaries Kantak charged Rs8000 twice over for the hearing on July 24, 2007.

While Kantak, not designated senior counsel, gets paid Rs8000 each time he appears in the HC, even if the case is adjourned; his Gujarat counterpart is paid Rs700 per day per case only if it is an effective hearing. The Maharashtra AG is paid Rs5000 per case up to a max of Rs7000 per day irrespective of the number of cases. The Karnataka AG gets Rs1000 for the first case and Rs250 each for subsequent cases to a max of Rs10,000 per day. Kantak was paid Rs2,55,97,012 between June 05-August 07. India's CJ gets a miserly Rs33,000 pm. The Prez gets Rs1,00,000 pm. Kantak, gets Rs8,000 every time he shows up.


When the going gets good, the good(s) get going. From 2005-2007 the additional government advocates attached to the office of the AG were paid as follows: Rakhi M. Chodankar Rs7,03,723, Leena Dharwadkar Rs6,30,671, Gauri Bhonsale 5,02,827, Manish Salkar Rs3,50.587. Total Rs21,87,808. If Kantak does the arguing in court, it means the AGA's don't. They only show up to seek adjournments or file affidavits or are a part of the AG's valet service. Perhaps there's a thin dividing line between showing up in court and arguing! Or, none at all! Finally, the government paid the AG's personal staff Rs16,96,251 as expenses between June 05-Feb 08. And this bit of miscellany, Rs37,736 towards his mobile phone bill for July 05-December 07 and Rs6,349 for calling from home between July 05-October 06.

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