No-win situation
I have often said ‘if you are one of those who buys into the Goa-is-at-peace bullshit, read our rival. Its news makes you think Goa is a world of Nirvana all the way. If you are troubled (a.k.a concerned) by the Goa around you, read the Herald. Here are some more real time news events to ponder on. In fact these have hardly been written about in the past, at least not in the way it should have made you sit up and your hair stand up. There is this little known egg nest called the Goa State Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation Ltd whose accounts were last finalized in fiscal 2000-01. I can’t tell, but you can bet your last buck that your government has an equally long-winded answer as to why it happened. Perhaps part of the reasons are that for seven consecutive years up to 2007-08 it pumped in equity of Rs 5 lakh, 31.67 lakh, 5 lakh, 5 lakh, 5 lakh, 5 lakh, and 5 lakh respectively. The one with the less rambling name, Goa State Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation Ltd was last audited in 2006-07. But, what you really need to do is walk into these offices and see how hard(ly) your government babus work, i.e.’ if you can get past the small detail of the empty tables and chairs that greet you when you walk in.
Estate Management
Call it a new Special Economic Zone in the making, but the GTDC’s intention (hopefully it won’t fructify or, that the many NGOs and activists will not wait until the eleventh hour to protest) to create ‘better’ infrastructure by inviting ‘Expression of Interest’ from the private industry, hints at just that. Only this might be packaged to look like some friendly neighbourhood infrastructure instead. You know, that usual bull that it will create jobs for Goans (those that didn’t go abroad, but are in queue), da, da, da. But it already gives one a sense of déjà vu. So, let me give you a corresponding case of memory retrieval. Quote from the Audit Report of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India: ‘The Goa Industrial Corporation has been pursuing industrial development on an ad-hoc basis. It did not prepare a perspective plan defining both short term and long term plans for development of industrial infrastructure ….’ The CAG also said ‘The Corporation had not resorted to open invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI) from interested entrepreneurs …;” Allotments were made without any kind of selection process, instead a ‘direct approach system’ was in vogue. Need I say more?
Ad-hocism is the buzzword
How ad-hoc? Trust me, off the cuff won’t even begin to describe the next land scam being cooked up. In the lingua franca of GTDC, it will lease out land to create new infrastructure under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. This could happen next month. In the dialect it used; it also said the government does not want to restrict itself to any infrastructure in particular. Ergo, it wants to let private industry submit bids and only afterwards, will GTDC decide what is best suited for the peoples’ land it unfortunately has become the ruler of. Now, if that does not smack of some intensely sneaky scheming, I don’t know what does.
Worst case scenario
Scenario 1. Based on this open invitation to virtually pick your booty and enjoy, there is no gainsaying that the worst kind or, for that matter even corporates with a brand equity (what’s the difference really?) will not cordon off used tracts of land, and levy an entry fee for whatever entertainment is on offer. And if you have been reading the Herald2day lately, Goans had stopped picnicking in Colva because of the in-your-face domestic tourists who arrive there by the busloads and appropriate the beach. Goans stopped going to Baga nearly a decade ago. They have been prevented from entering the beach at Taleigao and, in fact there are already a few 5-star hotels that did become obstacles for locals wanting to picnic on the beaches where they exist. Scenario 2. Should Goa allow these powerful don’t-give-a-fig-for-the- locals businessmen to take over prime beach land, most of it coming under the CRZ? Especially, when GTDC has itself admitted with amazing candour that it does not know what it wants from the PPA. And, that means it does not know what the Goan tourism industry needs. Remember, the realtors who booked prime land at the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Dona Paula?
(Feedback 6658606, 9763718501 lionroars.goa@gmail.com)
Friday, June 12, 2009
Kantak cares not
Thanks to Aires Rodrigues and Advocate General Subodh Kantak, the thankless (trust me, you can’t imagine how much) task of writing this column is made easy on the rare occasion. What I love about these two gentlemen is that Kantak matches Rodrigues’ increasing incidents of exposing him, by simply increasing his own financial bottomline. Actually, the truth is Kantak is more than one step ahead – after all, time is money! There is no comparable word for this in business lingo, but there’s a beautiful term any layman will understand … I think its called cock-a-snook. Kantak has been cocking-a-snook at Rodrigues, apart from the rest of the world too. Anyways, it reminds me of Snoop Doggy Dogg – the hardcore rap music about violent street life in the US of A, I think first put on the pop charts by IceCube. So, while Rodrigues raves on with his ‘Gangsta Rap’, Kantak stays ice cool. You dig? Here’s the latest ‘Rap’ on Kantak. Rodrigues in his inimitable style, says he has been paid Rs 3 crores 99 lakhs 46 thousand 750 rupees by the Goa government between February 2005 and February 2009 (see table below), making your government, India’s most litigious government beyond reasonable doubt. That, according to Rodrigues makes Kantak not only India’s highest paid Advocate General but India’s highest paid constitutional authority as well.
He says: “Last year’s re-structuring of fees payable to Kantak was a sham as Kantak is now getting paid up to Rs 5 lakhs a month, though the Advocate Generals of bigger States like Karnataka, Maharastra and Gujarat average around Rs 40,OOO a month.” I say Goa must be India’s most litigious State advisedly, even after taking into account Modiland where the 2002 communal riots spawned a bunch of cases against the Gujarat government that are yet to see any conclusion. Thus, Rodrigues does make a point. According to Rodrigues, Kantak gets paid three times the salary of President Pratibha Patil, whose monthly salary is Rs 1.5 lakh, and almost five times the salary of the Chief Justice of India - whose salary is Rs 1.10 lakh per month. Amen to that.
Doggone it
Information Rodrigues obtained under Right to Information reveals Kantak met with three accidents since February 11, 2005 for which he stitched the government with a total repair bill of Rs 1, 38,256. This is when it gets side-splitting. Very funny, because though I have gnashed my teeth in frustration (seriously, that’s why I took a two-week Sabbatical because of the futility of it all), this one caused mirth. Hugely, I might say. Here’s why. Kantak’s first accident on July 22, 2006 was due to a coconut falling on the bonnet of his official car; the other two accidents occurred on April 10, 2008 and January 20, 2009 and were caused by stray dogs! While in one case his official driver claimed to have lost control because he braked suddenly to avoid a stray dog, in the other case, a stray dog hit the front bumper of his car! Yeah! Right. Now, one really hopes that Kantak, an animal lover himself, wins his Rs 15 crore defamation suit against Rodrigues. Because, if my memory serves me right, Kantak said he would use that compensation, partly towards the welfare of stray dogs. There is of course the inevitable twist in the tail concerning who drives Kantak’s official car most of the time, but unfortunately as Rodrigues has no RTI evidence on this for obvious reasons, I’ll let it be for the moment. Bow Wow!
The high cost of official litigation
Month Fees Retainership
11.2.2005 to 28.02.2005 2,24,000 -
1.3.2005 to 4.3.2005 74,000 -
16.6.2005 to 30.6.2005 47,000 9,750
Arrears June 2005 1,05,000 9,500
July 2005 3,08,000 19,500
Arrears July 2005 5,40,000 19,000
August 2005 4,46,000 19,500
Arrears August 2005 7,70,000 19,000
September 2005 4,07,000 19,500
Arrears September 2005 7,05,000 19,000
October 2005 2,09,000 19,500
Arrears October 2005 3,75,000 19,000
November 2005 2,03,000 19,500
Arrears of November 2005 3,65,000 19,000
December 2005 3,38,000 19,500
Arrears December 2005 5,90,000 19,000
January 2006 5,99,000 19,500
Arrears January 2006 1,02,5,000 19,000
February 2006 3,68,000 19,500
Arrears February 2006 6,40,000 19,000
March 2006 4,97,000 19,500
Arrears March 2006 8,55,000 19,000
April 2006 4,16,000 19,500
Arrears April 2006 7,20,000 19,000
May 2006 1,16,000 19,500
Arrears May 2006 2,20,000 19,000
June 2006 3,95,000 19,500
Arrears June 2006 6,85,000 19,000
July 2006 4,94,000 19,500
Arrears of July 2006 8,50,000 19,000
August 2006 4,31,000 19,500
Arrears August 2006 7,45,000 19,000
September 2006 8,48,000 38,500
October 2006 9,52,000 38,500
November 2006 1,1,36,000 38,500
December 2006 1,0,40,000 38,500
January 2007 1,0,64,000 38,500
February 2007 1,0,68,000 38,500
March 2007 1,9,60,000 38,500
April 2007 1,2,32,000 38,500
May 2007 64,000.00 38,500
June 2007 6,08,000 38,500
July 2007 9,92,000.00 38,500
August 2007 6,80,000 38,500
September 2007 1,0,64,000 38,500
October 2007 1,2,96,000 38,500
November 2007 7,36,000 38,500
Oct’ + Dec 2007 8,80,000 38,500
January 2008 8,08,000 38,500
Jan’& Feb 2008 6,24,000 38,500
Feb & March 2008 8,96,000 38,500
Oct’ 07& March 2008 6,32,000 -
April 2008 5,00,000 27,000
May 2008 1,27,000 27,000
June 2008 5,00,000 27,000
July 2008 5,00,000 27,000
August 2008 4,43,000 27,000
September 2008 5,00,000 27,000
October 2008 3,76,000 27,000
November 2008 4,72,000 27,000
December 2008 5,00,000 27,000
January 2009 5,00,000 27,000
February 2009 5,00,000 27,000
(Feedback 6658606, 9763718501 lionroars.goa@gmail.com)
Thanks to Aires Rodrigues and Advocate General Subodh Kantak, the thankless (trust me, you can’t imagine how much) task of writing this column is made easy on the rare occasion. What I love about these two gentlemen is that Kantak matches Rodrigues’ increasing incidents of exposing him, by simply increasing his own financial bottomline. Actually, the truth is Kantak is more than one step ahead – after all, time is money! There is no comparable word for this in business lingo, but there’s a beautiful term any layman will understand … I think its called cock-a-snook. Kantak has been cocking-a-snook at Rodrigues, apart from the rest of the world too. Anyways, it reminds me of Snoop Doggy Dogg – the hardcore rap music about violent street life in the US of A, I think first put on the pop charts by IceCube. So, while Rodrigues raves on with his ‘Gangsta Rap’, Kantak stays ice cool. You dig? Here’s the latest ‘Rap’ on Kantak. Rodrigues in his inimitable style, says he has been paid Rs 3 crores 99 lakhs 46 thousand 750 rupees by the Goa government between February 2005 and February 2009 (see table below), making your government, India’s most litigious government beyond reasonable doubt. That, according to Rodrigues makes Kantak not only India’s highest paid Advocate General but India’s highest paid constitutional authority as well.
He says: “Last year’s re-structuring of fees payable to Kantak was a sham as Kantak is now getting paid up to Rs 5 lakhs a month, though the Advocate Generals of bigger States like Karnataka, Maharastra and Gujarat average around Rs 40,OOO a month.” I say Goa must be India’s most litigious State advisedly, even after taking into account Modiland where the 2002 communal riots spawned a bunch of cases against the Gujarat government that are yet to see any conclusion. Thus, Rodrigues does make a point. According to Rodrigues, Kantak gets paid three times the salary of President Pratibha Patil, whose monthly salary is Rs 1.5 lakh, and almost five times the salary of the Chief Justice of India - whose salary is Rs 1.10 lakh per month. Amen to that.
Doggone it
Information Rodrigues obtained under Right to Information reveals Kantak met with three accidents since February 11, 2005 for which he stitched the government with a total repair bill of Rs 1, 38,256. This is when it gets side-splitting. Very funny, because though I have gnashed my teeth in frustration (seriously, that’s why I took a two-week Sabbatical because of the futility of it all), this one caused mirth. Hugely, I might say. Here’s why. Kantak’s first accident on July 22, 2006 was due to a coconut falling on the bonnet of his official car; the other two accidents occurred on April 10, 2008 and January 20, 2009 and were caused by stray dogs! While in one case his official driver claimed to have lost control because he braked suddenly to avoid a stray dog, in the other case, a stray dog hit the front bumper of his car! Yeah! Right. Now, one really hopes that Kantak, an animal lover himself, wins his Rs 15 crore defamation suit against Rodrigues. Because, if my memory serves me right, Kantak said he would use that compensation, partly towards the welfare of stray dogs. There is of course the inevitable twist in the tail concerning who drives Kantak’s official car most of the time, but unfortunately as Rodrigues has no RTI evidence on this for obvious reasons, I’ll let it be for the moment. Bow Wow!
The high cost of official litigation
Month Fees Retainership
11.2.2005 to 28.02.2005 2,24,000 -
1.3.2005 to 4.3.2005 74,000 -
16.6.2005 to 30.6.2005 47,000 9,750
Arrears June 2005 1,05,000 9,500
July 2005 3,08,000 19,500
Arrears July 2005 5,40,000 19,000
August 2005 4,46,000 19,500
Arrears August 2005 7,70,000 19,000
September 2005 4,07,000 19,500
Arrears September 2005 7,05,000 19,000
October 2005 2,09,000 19,500
Arrears October 2005 3,75,000 19,000
November 2005 2,03,000 19,500
Arrears of November 2005 3,65,000 19,000
December 2005 3,38,000 19,500
Arrears December 2005 5,90,000 19,000
January 2006 5,99,000 19,500
Arrears January 2006 1,02,5,000 19,000
February 2006 3,68,000 19,500
Arrears February 2006 6,40,000 19,000
March 2006 4,97,000 19,500
Arrears March 2006 8,55,000 19,000
April 2006 4,16,000 19,500
Arrears April 2006 7,20,000 19,000
May 2006 1,16,000 19,500
Arrears May 2006 2,20,000 19,000
June 2006 3,95,000 19,500
Arrears June 2006 6,85,000 19,000
July 2006 4,94,000 19,500
Arrears of July 2006 8,50,000 19,000
August 2006 4,31,000 19,500
Arrears August 2006 7,45,000 19,000
September 2006 8,48,000 38,500
October 2006 9,52,000 38,500
November 2006 1,1,36,000 38,500
December 2006 1,0,40,000 38,500
January 2007 1,0,64,000 38,500
February 2007 1,0,68,000 38,500
March 2007 1,9,60,000 38,500
April 2007 1,2,32,000 38,500
May 2007 64,000.00 38,500
June 2007 6,08,000 38,500
July 2007 9,92,000.00 38,500
August 2007 6,80,000 38,500
September 2007 1,0,64,000 38,500
October 2007 1,2,96,000 38,500
November 2007 7,36,000 38,500
Oct’ + Dec 2007 8,80,000 38,500
January 2008 8,08,000 38,500
Jan’& Feb 2008 6,24,000 38,500
Feb & March 2008 8,96,000 38,500
Oct’ 07& March 2008 6,32,000 -
April 2008 5,00,000 27,000
May 2008 1,27,000 27,000
June 2008 5,00,000 27,000
July 2008 5,00,000 27,000
August 2008 4,43,000 27,000
September 2008 5,00,000 27,000
October 2008 3,76,000 27,000
November 2008 4,72,000 27,000
December 2008 5,00,000 27,000
January 2009 5,00,000 27,000
February 2009 5,00,000 27,000
(Feedback 6658606, 9763718501 lionroars.goa@gmail.com)
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