Not cool

Blistering May

It’s going to be blistering the rest of May, sizzling even. Remember the Rs. 7,40,686 that Shaikh Aftab scammed in his capacity as supervisor of the accounts and taxation section of the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP). The sting was first exposed by the Comptroller and Accountant General of India and intimated to the Director of Municipal Administration on February 2, 2010. The CCP’s report was due last month. All eyes now are on the Administration-cum-Accounts Officer of the CCP and one truly wishes he didn’t have his shades on while he was doing his investigation.

……and facilitation money

But if May really sizzles it will because of the threat of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) decision to terminate the contract given to Kanaka Infratech Ltd., Mumbai for ‘improvement of infrastructure at Patto Plaza in Panjim reported by an English daily on April 25. Mouthing his utter disgust at the company for miserably failing to deliver, EDC’s MD WV Murthy said no money had been paid to the company till now. Whoa, hold your horses, no money paid to the contractor yet, despite the fact the newspaper reported the so-called beautification project of Patto Plaza began in October 2009. Do infrastructure firms work for free? Murthy didn’t tell the paper, but the tender was worth Rs 9,20,38,780.70. Why sizzling? Because EDC despite its denial to the paper has actually paid Kanaka Infratech an amount of Rs 46,01,939 in accordance with the contract. Come now Mr. Murthy all builders and contractors are paid a huge advance, because that is what they use to start work and also from where the facilitation fee is paid to people. FYI, facilitation money was formerly called speed money, Vitamin M and Dhirubhai Ambani once famously called it ‘managing government’. Now, after the IPL (Indian Premier League) it is called facilitation fee. The advance was paid against a bank guarantee. So, is it going to be another legal saga like the true story of the sunken River Princess off Candolim and the salvaging firm Jaisu Shipping and bank guarantees and ………. Etc. etc. One thing bothers me though. The EDC has always harped on the landscaping as it calls it, of Patto Plaza. Even the newspaper quoted it as saying so. Details of the work order I have, clearly call it work that includes improvement of the existing infrastructure wherever needed. As far as I can recollect, the existing so-called infrastructure was built two decades ago and began deteriorating from Day 1 itself. Fact is, the Rs 9,20,38,780.70 is coming out of your pockets to pay for EDC’S past mistakes. Fact is, the Rs 46,01,939 has come out of your pocket. Future fact: EDC is going to re-tender the project (the report said). This cost too will come out from your pockets. I said Blistering, didn’t I?

Farmers as bakras

It’s truly an irony that a small state like Goa which cannot produce enough for its own citizens should even think of an agriculture mall when bigger states which produce all the essential (also called core vegetables) fruits and vegetables and not the seasonal vegetables that Goan farmers grow (melons, string beans, raddish etc) more for their own sustenance because they cannot double up as labourers like their counterparts in other states, have not done so. Chandrababu Naid started the single-window clearance 10 years ago. It’s no secret that the single window was only used for self-aggrandisement of politicians not industry or agriculture. The “rythu bazaars” (farmers market) concept started during Naidu’s time with much fanfare was supposed to delete the middleman (read politicos) so that farmers could sell directly to buyers and get a decent price. But that did not happen as farmers in AP were the first to commit suicide because they had no other way out of their debt traps. Designed to be a platform to better their lot, instead rythu bazaars became a synonym for corruption as retailers flocked there with their baskets and bought fruits and vegetables cheaply and sold them for double the price at their outlets. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer.

Another example

In Tamil Nadu, the uzhavar santhai (farmer’s markets) were started some years ago again to help farmers get a better price for their produce. It was evocatively described as “to help housewives exercise their haggling skills with illiterate farmers”. But if these markets were such a success story, then you would not have biggies like Reliance Fresh, More (Aditya Birla) and Heritage Farm Fresh (ironically owned by Naidu himself), raking in huge profits. Granted their prices are reasonable for an urban population which fits in shopping amidst a busy day schedule, but have farmers, who form the first step of this human chain, benefitted? This episode should answer that question. In January this year, farmers in a village in Krishnagiri district, TN boycotted ‘uzhavar santhai’ protesting against “official apathy”. About 13 farmers set up shops outside the santhai, sold their products for prices less than the ones fixed by the Agricultural Marketing Board. Board officials did nothing when intermediaries prevented farmers from bringing their produce to the market. As a result farmers were not able to sell their products whereas middlemen earned huge commissions by diverting produce to markets nearby. This shows there is a need to reconstruct our system of trade, not build agriculture malls that perpetuate exploitation of farmers. Better stay out of it.

Mall rats, literally!

But yet, a huge land bank 44,000 square metres (built up area) is going to be set aside at the Mapusa market yard to bring traders, buyers and sellers under one roof. And where are the real farmers in Goa and where for god sakes is the parking space in Mapusa. If anything, the mall will become the face-off between traders from Karnataka and Maharashtra and buyers who are also outsiders. Or, is this a seed planted for yet another money scam.

Like IFFI, but even more iffy!

It’s a bit like bringing the International Film Festival of India to Goa when there was neither a market nor serious consumers for films. Finally Goa seems to have been turned into the playground of Bollywood stars - and apparently an opportunity to scout for heritage homes and lay down roots – to come every year and act superior to the locals while Konkani cinema is far from thriving. Granted Bollywood is shooting more films here – even Diwar played host to a shooting on April 25. You should have seen the superior air and the swagger and attitude displayed by what could have only been extras and not A-listers like a Shah Rukh Khan who treated the locals as yokels blocking traffic in the island narrow roads and hogging the ferries!


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