Of Pots and Kettles

Is the pot calling the kettle black?

Some weeks ago Dayanand Narvekar accused his own government of clandestinely conceding a financial benefit of Rs 1,060 cr to United Telecom Ltd in the broadband project. This is his own scoresheet while he was briefly (thank God for small mercies) the Information Technology minister. A total of six companies were attracted by his high pitched sales:

1. Elin Electronics, Verna Industrial Estate. Investment: Rs 159.16 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 50.

2. NE Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Verna Industrial Estate. Investment: Rs 5 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 20.

3. Digital Alchemy India Pvt. Ltd, Myles High Corporate Hub, Patto Plaza. Investment: Rs 3.2 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 386.

4. Mehul Developers Pvt. Ltd, Verna Industrial Estate. Investment: Rs 1 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 110.

5. BlackJack ITES, Goa Housing Board Complex, Penha-de-France, Alto Porvorim. Investment: Rs 9 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 332.

6. First European Infotech India Ltd, Verna Industrial Estate. Investment: Rs 5 lakh. 5-year manpower projection: 500.

You think this reads like a low-scoring cricket game? All I say is if the investment figures are so subdued and the manpower figures so lofty that they caught you on the wrong-foot, please be informed they are positively not typos I made in my copy. I have not erred in giving them to you. Someone else might have, not me. So make your own conclusions. Investigating further I discovered Mehul, a company registered in Defence Colony, New Delhi (where else?) recently transferred 35,000 M2 to Bosch Industries. This is a plot it held at the Verna Industrial Estate. This as I have said before can happen only in Goa.

Not quite Satyam, but getting there

Recently, I asked the Goa Industrial Development Corporation a few pertinent questions under RTI. Now, GIDC is Goa's equivalent of L&T in bagging huge contracts, but possibly the equivalent of a Satyam- in- the- making, where management of its internal affairs is concerned, as this column has proved time and again. I was stunned when it refused to answer these questions claiming 'the information sought does not fall within the definition of (the) Right to Information Act, 2005.' My questions were: 1. Give the number of vacant plots in each industrial estate. 2. From these; how many plots were allotted; to whom were they allotted. 3. From this list of allottees; how many have not taken possession; how many have taken possession but have not started any activity. 4. Give the lease amount paid to IDC in each of the above cases. 5. Was there a cut-off date after which no plot was allotted? What was the date? 6. Were any plots allotted after this date? If so, give details. 7. Give details of the progress achieved towards setting up the proposed industrial estate at Carambolim.

Transparency not a strong suit of Republic of GIDC

Clearly, like Manohar Parrikar said of the Mormugao Port Trust, GIDC thinks it is a Republic on its own. Either that or, it thinks like an Embassy on foreign soil. Therefore all the industrial estates in Goa belong to the Republic of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation or, do they call themselves Peoples' Democratic Republic of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation. I'm not sure which. Let's break-down its so-called democratic hypothesis on Right To Information.' Without a doubt, the industrial estates do not wholly belong to GIDC in a manner it can do whatever it wants to do with them under the veil of 'Official Secrecy' Act, whatever. When I last checked, India was still a democracy, where state-owned corporations were answerable to the people, and Goa was not a failed state like Somali or Pakistan (in Swat, the Pak government bowed down to the Taliban and brought in Shariat law.) Not yet here at least, though we are heading thataways, surely. In fact, the RTI Act came into being only to clear any misconceptions government officials had about their self-proclaimed extra-constitutional powers. But what we are getting is obfuscation to protect the government, the politicians and the real power behind the throne, the bureaucrats.

For Your Eyes Only

What the 'Republic' deemed appropriate for your eyes to see is this bit tidily put together piece of information. The vacant plots in the Pissurlem Industrial Estate total 94,460 M2 in area including 10 amalgamated plots totaling 76,412 M2, done so, and reserved perhaps for someone with deep pockets. IDC 'revealed' that Kadoda PH-III had vacant plots totaling 9785 M2. In the Canacona estate there is a total vacant area of 4320 M2. In Cuncolim vacant plots total 1800 M2. In Honda phase-II the figure is 6134 M2. In Quitol, vacant land amounts to 8,88,576 M2. No wonder the urge here is start something, even remotely concerned with processing anything vaguely tied to food. In Kundaim Industrial Estate there is a total vacant area of 2,50,000 M2. This is as far as GIDC will go. But wait, the RTI is not done with it yet.

(Feedback 9763718501, lionroars.goa@gmail)