Women's Bill or Women will have to pay the Bill

Sao Matias’ women dumped

There’s an SMS joke circulating. It says the Women’s Bill really means women will have to pay all the bills henceforth. As jokes go, it’s funny. But this isn’t. For 21months now, (since June 2008) Tulsidas Kundaikar has been the acting sarpanch (reserved for women) of the Sao Matias Village Panchayat; Divar island villagers ridicule that he could stay that way for life. In picturesque Sao Matias, that of course could be picture perfect for Kundaikar. His longevity, thanks to the perfidy of some panchas began years ago because Sao Matias like most VPs in Goa mocks the Panchayati Raj system without a care in the world. Between 2002-03, the sarpanch was Anil Sawant; for the next five months the Vanxim (an adjoining island and part of the VP) panch Dominic D’Souza was made sarpanch, but was forced to resign later. Unfortunately for Kundaikar, Sao Matias was reserved for women and Asha Pai, was elected sarpanch till 2008 when she was ‘retired’ by Kundaikar. This time however, it was a little harder and a coup d’etat had to be staged and four panches had to be sequestered at Hotel Seema, Ribandar on the day the sarpanch election was held. Kundaikar even had a rubber stamp made later that says ‘Acting Sarpanch’ which in an ironic way (the rubber stamp that is) is symbolic of the shambolic VP.

S(a)o sad Matias

Things have changed these days in sleepy Sao Matias and attempts are being made to break Kundaikar’s cartel of four panchas (plus himself). His refusal to repair the roads in the ward of woman panch Luda Athaide, who is willing to become the sarpanch, cries out loud for change. The roads in this ward have been in a sad state for years while Kundaikar got a little used road in his ward tarred before the recent Zilla Parishad elections which some villagers say only exposes Kundaikar’s proclivity to ignore the Catholic- dominated ward. A resident of the ward was harassed by the Old Goa police after he protested strongly to the VP secretary about his stonewalling him. The secretary Mahesh Naik has been in office for five years and villagers say his time is up officially. The Director of Panchayat has stonewalled all written requests asking why fresh sarpanch elections are not being held; and also to reveal the legal period for an acting sarpanch to be in office. But, all the director says is an evasive ‘there is no support’. Kundaikar says Luda Athaide is not ‘experienced’ sounding suspiciously like the director himself. And you can bet he believed that of Asha Pai too, but who proved to be a good administrator. Kundaikar’s and Naik’s combined ‘experience’ however failed to prevent an employee of the Public Sector company Goa Shipyard Ltd from contesting the last panchayat elections despite directly holding ‘office of profit’. So, what expertise does it take to run a VP that routinely fails to avail of government grants; and has a development track record that reads like a huge ZERO? An acting Sarpanch, perhaps!

New Wave

Denied flat owners banding together could be the new fight-for-your-rights movement in Goa because the 41 men and lone woman politician are busy nurturing their pension funds and doing up their houses lavishly and don’t have the time of day for you and me. So watch out builders, something will crack soon. A draft action plan to form an apex association of flat owners is currently being formulated with an objective to get flat owners’ legislation. This happened after residents of Chowgule Gardens in Zuarinagar got in touch with their fellow sufferers living in the Jairam Complex in Neuginagar, Panjim. The thing to keep in mind for them is this government is one of builders and builder lobbies and apparently of mine owners too. That is if Parrikar who never, ever, provides the evidence is to be believed.

Stick in the mud

Driving back home after a Margao interview for this column, I spotted Joao Philip, that intransigent activist the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) loves dearly to hate. There’s always a story with him around for pain-in-the-butt journos like me. Animated as ever Joao, waving a GIDC stay order (dated March 15, 2010), was trying to stop Siemens from illegally excavating land inside the Verna Industrial Estate close to the main entrance. You – and you must from past experience – wonder why GIDC the root cause of the degradation of the Verna plateau, actually issued that order? It’s only because Joao and his fellow villagers forced the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Chief Secretary to act. Here’s another mucky tale to do with mud. Turns out that the Margao Town and Planning Department investigated Francisco ‘Miccky’ Pacheco’s land filling racket in Colva village on February 2, 2010and discovered that he filled 1,350 sq mt of land to a varying depth of 85 cms. This of course was revealed only after the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum led by Judith Almeida opposed him. Miccky was asked to stop further filling and ordered to produce NOC’s, if any and there aren’t any, within seven days from February 25, 2010, the day he was served the notice. Why are concerned citizens only concerned in Goa?


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