The sell-out of Goa by its politicians

Calling the kettle black

The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) having its own way in Goa is nothing new. It’s because our politicians, unlike those in other States, just hate to protect anything that is Goan or can be identified as part of Goa. Only recently, the MPT became an exception for the ruling Congress government because frankly it went a tad too far. Remember all those advertisements establishing MPT’s territorial rights in Goa. What impudence! If that happened in Mumbai, Shiv Sena goons would have taken violent action against the source of the irritant. In the sedate South, the DMK in Tamil Nadu would have said “mind it” and that would be that. You doubt that? Google Chennai’s dailies of June 30 and you will see a report with a picture of (workers) of the Chennai Corporation taking over land encroached upon by a 5-star hotel owned by Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels Ltd. In Kochi, there would be no cause for concern in the first place. Malaylees don’t take BS from anyone, outsiders particularly. Kerala said ‘no 60m wide highways’. It ended there. Not Goa, our politicians don’t want to upset the apple cart, if you get my drift. They don’t even protect their own turf.

Expansionistic MPT

The MPT has a slew of expansionist projects, none of which augur well for Goa. If given a free hand to do what it wants, it will not only change the demography, it will change forever the horizon over Baina Bay and Vasco Bay and in future over Betul too. Driving the engine behind it will be the Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan, the MPT will only be a means to an end though it will partake of the cake. Its plans forced the Congress to warn the MPT that implementation of these will change the demography of Vasco da Gama. Coming from the Congress it sounded really funny because that is something the Congress achieved on its own through its inequitable industrial policies, etcetera. I guess it needed to issue a sound byte Goans love to hear. But, using it selectively, is adding insult to injury because WE THE PEOPLE have been saying it for three going on four decades! Or, by saying that, was the Congress reserving its sole right to change the demographics of Goa. Instead of the sound byte, it might begin by finding out what the MPT is doing/has done with a rather large acreage of land leased to it, which it has admitted it failed to monitor. The MPT is sitting pretty on 68 Ha under the dock area in Headland and slopes at Mormugao. In Baina, Vasco da Gama the MPT took on lease 17 Ha. Between 1971 and 1985 various governments allotted it nearly 52 Ha, while the MPT managed to “reclaim” nearly 25 Ha of land. It is possible the government isn’t earning a rupee from this. The government of 1981 leased 3.62 acres to Goa Shipyard Limited and it’s possible it may not have signed a deed agreement till now. For the record, the government of 2007 also leased 10,958 sq mt to GSL.


Lost in Translation

Between March last year and March 2010 all it had achieved was write a series of letters to all concerned in New Delhi, formed a Group of Ministers; but did not even succeed in getting old Portuguese documents translated/researched to put a finger on the touchy subject of jurisdiction and what was inherited and by whom from the Portuguese. In fact, ex-advocate general Carlos Ferreira excused himself from the research and was replaced by lawyer Jose E. Coelho Pereira who apparently also opted out because the ball appears to be back in Ferreira’s court. The GoM met thrice, on October 22, September 26, and October 22 of 2008. So much for the Congress’ concern about demographic change. At stake is about 1,000-1,500 Ha of land and nearly 2.5 km of waterfront land. In other words, it could hit you up to the west of Cortalim.


Joker in the pack

I don’t mean this in a funny way because as if it had an ace in hand, the government got the toothless Goa State Pollution Control Board to dash off yet another letter to the MPT - asking it to consider the cumulative impact of their projects, include these in the EIA/EMP study, hold a public hearing and submit hard copies of the proposed 4 mmtpa coal/coke handling port terminal at berth no. 11. The board also asked MPT to deposit Rs 5 lakh with it towards holding the public hearing. That’s right your concerned government didn’t want to spend Rs 5 lakh on this when it has spent crores on consultancy fees. Yes, it’s the same Pollution Board that hotels in Colva show the middle finger to. The letter was written in May, 2010. No guesses where the MPT put that letter. And oh, in a moment of pique, the GoM voted not to ask MPT for NOCs to conduct any activity on land the MPT claims is theirs. In other words, the GoM proved to be just as toothless and wimpish as the board!

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