Goan football’s repulsive side
There is an obnoxious side to Goan football, the most popular game on the planet. This story begins with Churchill Alemao wanting to be president of the Goa Football Association for the term 2010-14. One obstacle he faced was the fact that his brother Joaquim Alemao was the sitting president. How? I’ll explain that in time. Perhaps like Aleixo Sequeira (MLA, Loutolim) he wanted to be elected unopposed.
Although Salcete was the largest voting constituency, he also needed the backing of football clubs in Bardez, Ilhas and Mormugao, to get elected unopposed.
Ironically, real elections to the GFA had resumed in 2007 after a long lull when Churchill’s brother Joaquim won, but his panel didn’t. Earlier, All-India Football Federation’s (AIFF) secretary, Alberto Colaco merely grouped together Joaquim Alemao, Shivanand Salgaocar, and Srinivas Dempo, arrogating to himself the
right of picking the GFA president. In other words they selected, never elected, their surrogate. Result: there was never an election since Savio Messias challenged Vilas Sardessai in 1992, and the thumb rule applied to the yes-men in the GFA’s committee as well.
Lousy legacy
But J. Alemao was leaving behind a weak legacy that his brother Churchill could not afford to inherit. Goa’s soccer clubs, particularly from Bardez were unrelenting over his broken promise to give each club Rs 50,000, which they claimed he had promised in return for votes in 2007. And that is because J. Alemao, the Urban Development Minister failed to get the Sports Ministry which lords over the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) which was supposed to bankroll his blatant buyoff.
Vengeance is mine
The clubs intended to hit back. They picked their moment when Churchill Alemao held a meeting of Bardez clubs at the Green Park hotel (near the Mapusa by-pass road) in August. There are 40-odd Bardez clubs (42, I think). Typically, Churchill brought along some club representatives (Dionisio Sardinha, John Dias, Lavino Rebello among them) from Salcette and declared in his inimitable style that he would only file his nomination if all the clubs in Goa agreed to elect him unopposed. “The clubs want me to be president. I must be voted unopposed.”
But a stunned Churchill got only rebuttals. “Where is your brother? Where is the Rs 50,000 he promised? What will you promise this time?” The political playfield was suddenly a different ball game. Here was the rough and tumble of a football game. It got more aggressive. “What have you done for football? Why are you Minister for PWD and not Minister for Sports? 'What happened to the promised lighting at Fatorda?' "Why hasn’t Panjim got a ground yet?”
The meeting ended with some club representatives walking out in protest. Churchill Alemao realized he had been shown the red card. The defense against him was impenetrable; therefore he decided not to contest despite his great ambition to become president. The Fatorda stadium lighting project valued at nearly Rs 6 cr is stuck with Churchill Alemao, in his capacity as PWD Minister. Specialists in the business say it can be done for less than one sixth of that amount.
The Duler stadium floodlight projects officially promoted by J. Alemao is de facto obstructed by him as the Urban Planning Minister (the project is to be implemented by the Mapusa Municipality which is under his ministry).
Dark horse
This is when the Colaco group panicked and pushed forward the candidature of Srinivas Dempo, always reluctant to become president, and content with playing a supporting role. With Colaco due to retire on September 30, 2010 as the AIFF’s Delhi-based paid general secretary, he would have to be benched on his return to Goa. But he could be made the new GFA general secretary. With the incumbent,
Messias, due to retire on October 25, 2010, the post was being transformed from that of honorary to professional. It was to be a paid job and Colaco’s AIFF experience was the end result of a well-thought out tactical plan.
The new term is for 2010-2014. It was a shoe-in – a winner all the way, because Colaco intended to be the force behind Dempo, the reluctant GFA office bearer. Dempo was elected, or rather, selected member of the GFA twice, was VP for four years, but the only GFA meeting he ever attended was on September 15, 2010.
Rumours had it that he and four other GFA members including J. Alemao would be disqualified for failing to attend four consecutive executive committee meetings. Under ordinary circumstances they ought to have been disqualified a long time ago. The issue was raised in fact at the last general body but J. Alemao’s limp apology was that his ministerial and political duties took preference over GFA.
Possession game
Except for 2007 when true elections were held, the group marshaled by Colaco has always kept possession of the ball so to speak – to the extent of forming a panel to contest. This is in direct conflict with the GFA constitution which says a president must be elected in his individual capacity. Confident that J. Alemao would contest again, Messias filed his nomination papers. So did Peter Vaz.
In 2007 J. Alemao asked Vaz to support his candidature because the president’s post is as per convention rotated between Goa’s four big clubs. The contest suddenly got rougher. Messias has had turf battles with both Colaco and J. Alemao but not with Vaz. But J. Alemao’s broken promise was like an own goal, it eliminated both brothers from the contest.
Messias knew he couldn’t win and would only damage Vaz’ chances. So, they are believed to have come to an understanding. Messias would withdraw his nomination, but as he would be left with nothing, he filed his papers for the post of member, Mormugao zone. The zone had three candidates for three posts available. It was game on here too.
At this point Churchill Alemao began scheming as only he can. Wary of how clubs voted in 2007, when Joaquim Alemao was voted in but not his panel. The buzz in the clubs was that he ordered clubs loyal to him to carry their mobiles in and photograph their ticked ballot papers as proof. I am not making this up but the villain in the piece all along was Chief Minister Digambar Kamat who kept wheedling with the key players in government like a good captain would.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Consultancy, the money-spinner
The Ghost Who Walks
The contract for the colossal new Collectorate building being built at Margao was tendered in December 2007 at a cost of Rs 73,46,34,449. It won’t be ready in June 2010 as scheduled but in December and the cost has already escalated to Rs 77.50 cr which was expected. In fact, already the next projected cost is Rs 93 cr. It will soar (to Rs 100 cr perhaps?) and will go down as the most expensive ever built in Goa. And for what realistic purpose was it built? So that some government babu can harass you even more as you blunder from one floor to another looking for the chap who just stepped out for his umpteenth cup of chai? The government won’t give a Panchayat the talathi it deserves but it will blow Rs 100 cr on a new Collectorate building. A case in point is the Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim Village Panchayat’s talathi who also holds charge of the Velsao-Pale-Issorcim VP which means he comes to work only Mondays and Thursdays at Velsao. Because the Boss Man, the Mamlatdar of Mormugo, wants him there at Vasco da Gama, his base station, every now and then, the poor chap has become like The Phantom -The Ghost Who Walks; for no fault of his. In this case the government gets really mean. To make you go through the pain of a FI&IXV, it divided the three villages of Velsao VP between two Mamlatdars. Yes, there is a Mamlatdar and two joint Mamlatdars. Machiavellian? I thought so too.
Consultancy, the money spinner
1) The cost of civil works including plumbing, fire fighting and internal electrical works (at the Rs 93 cr level) is an estimated Rs 73,46,34,449 and the consultancy fee (i.e architectural and project management consultancy) is Rs 4,02,57,968.
2) The external electrical work will cost Rs 2,11,49,474 and the consultancy fee is Rs 11,58,991.
3) The cost of the internal, external and special lighting fixtures is Rs 74,40,000 and strange but true, the consultancy fee is Rs 4,07,712. In other words the consultancy fee for items 2& 3, both electrical jobs, itself works out to Rs 15,66,703 plus there already is an unknown consultancy fee for internal electrical works factored into item 1 (see above).
4) The elevator work will cost Rs 2,77,00,000 and the consultancy fee is Rs 15,17,960.
5) Air-conditioning the complex will cost Rs 1,93,02,803 and the consultancy fee is Rs 10,57,794.
6) The cost of the telephone exchange and UPS will be Rs 1,33,40,845 and believe it or not the consultancy fee is Rs 7,31,078.
7) The audio visual equipments for the conference room and AV room will cost Rs 44,00,000 and the consultancy fee for this is Rs 2,41,120.
8) The furniture will cost Rs 5,23,29,550 and lo and behold the consultancy fee for this is Rs 28,67,659.
9) There is a miscellaneous cost of Rs 2,32,000 and mercifully they didn’t need a consultant to tell them that. The magic figure at this moment is Rs 92,87,69,403 and the dice is still being rolled.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
You have by now begun to understand the current Cabinet’s compulsive obsession for big buildings and decided to live with it. That much is clear. But it boggles the mind when in a total cost of Rs 88,05,29,121 the consultancy fee works out Rs 4,82,40,282 and is growing. Now figure out the maintenance and other support costs of this monolith and notch that up as one more record that will be set by Goa’s most expensive building yet. And in your village meanwhile the streetlights don’t work, the narrow village roads are potholed, you are forced to buy your own expensive UPS because the power supply is as inconsistent as the figures above. Worse, you won’t be invited to the gala opening of the Collectorate knowing well that will also cost you a small fortune. And in villages a few people continue to clean up the beaches which hordes of domestic tourists dirty for the good of the tourism industry. And yet on September 21, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat flew all the way to Delhi with a delegation to convince the Information & Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni not to pull the rug from under the Entertainment Society of Goa. Her ministry wants to reduce the Entertainment Society of Goa’s role in hosting this year’s International Film Festival of India for all the right reasons. But the Goa government can’t have that, can it, considering its other obsession is IFFI; and all the tax-free perks of a good life that go with organizing it? Proof of its fascination is in the very timing of his visit, made when Delhi was in a flap over Jammu & Kashmir under its worse siege ever and the Commonwealth Games about to go kaput. Life goes on.
Battle of the Bulge
The Navy’s growing a belly. You wouldn’t expect the Navy to get the acquisition bug too. A long time ago, the Navy locked down the old road to popular Bogmolo beach. It really hurt because you could cycle down to Bogmolo from Vasco da Gama. It was all done for a sacred cause, blah, blah. All the while, the Navy only employed more men and lost more aircraft, nothing else. The Navy is now going to acquire over 30 lakh sq mt including the traditional Bhimvel beach. The excuse this time is the fear terrorists might strike at aircraft from the islands which are to be acquired. Why not patrol the St. George islands from the seaside and maintain a land-based force equipped with night vision and whatever it takes? That would make everyone happy. I could point out a few thousand shanty homes in Zuarinagar where terrorists could launch shoulder- fired missiles, a high-rise hotel in Bogmolo with a gallery view of flying aircraft plus 5-star comfort, and a few hundred safe havens in Vasco da Gama to set up base. Why use the difficult island option when you can do your dirty work from the safety of land? In fact Vascoites have expressed fears that if the fuel storage tanks in the town containing millions of litres of fuel are blown up, there would be no Vasco and no Mormugao Port, and no Goa Shipyard which ironically builds only naval ships. But who cares?
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164
The contract for the colossal new Collectorate building being built at Margao was tendered in December 2007 at a cost of Rs 73,46,34,449. It won’t be ready in June 2010 as scheduled but in December and the cost has already escalated to Rs 77.50 cr which was expected. In fact, already the next projected cost is Rs 93 cr. It will soar (to Rs 100 cr perhaps?) and will go down as the most expensive ever built in Goa. And for what realistic purpose was it built? So that some government babu can harass you even more as you blunder from one floor to another looking for the chap who just stepped out for his umpteenth cup of chai? The government won’t give a Panchayat the talathi it deserves but it will blow Rs 100 cr on a new Collectorate building. A case in point is the Cansaulim-Arossim-Cuelim Village Panchayat’s talathi who also holds charge of the Velsao-Pale-Issorcim VP which means he comes to work only Mondays and Thursdays at Velsao. Because the Boss Man, the Mamlatdar of Mormugo, wants him there at Vasco da Gama, his base station, every now and then, the poor chap has become like The Phantom -The Ghost Who Walks; for no fault of his. In this case the government gets really mean. To make you go through the pain of a FI&IXV, it divided the three villages of Velsao VP between two Mamlatdars. Yes, there is a Mamlatdar and two joint Mamlatdars. Machiavellian? I thought so too.
Consultancy, the money spinner
1) The cost of civil works including plumbing, fire fighting and internal electrical works (at the Rs 93 cr level) is an estimated Rs 73,46,34,449 and the consultancy fee (i.e architectural and project management consultancy) is Rs 4,02,57,968.
2) The external electrical work will cost Rs 2,11,49,474 and the consultancy fee is Rs 11,58,991.
3) The cost of the internal, external and special lighting fixtures is Rs 74,40,000 and strange but true, the consultancy fee is Rs 4,07,712. In other words the consultancy fee for items 2& 3, both electrical jobs, itself works out to Rs 15,66,703 plus there already is an unknown consultancy fee for internal electrical works factored into item 1 (see above).
4) The elevator work will cost Rs 2,77,00,000 and the consultancy fee is Rs 15,17,960.
5) Air-conditioning the complex will cost Rs 1,93,02,803 and the consultancy fee is Rs 10,57,794.
6) The cost of the telephone exchange and UPS will be Rs 1,33,40,845 and believe it or not the consultancy fee is Rs 7,31,078.
7) The audio visual equipments for the conference room and AV room will cost Rs 44,00,000 and the consultancy fee for this is Rs 2,41,120.
8) The furniture will cost Rs 5,23,29,550 and lo and behold the consultancy fee for this is Rs 28,67,659.
9) There is a miscellaneous cost of Rs 2,32,000 and mercifully they didn’t need a consultant to tell them that. The magic figure at this moment is Rs 92,87,69,403 and the dice is still being rolled.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
You have by now begun to understand the current Cabinet’s compulsive obsession for big buildings and decided to live with it. That much is clear. But it boggles the mind when in a total cost of Rs 88,05,29,121 the consultancy fee works out Rs 4,82,40,282 and is growing. Now figure out the maintenance and other support costs of this monolith and notch that up as one more record that will be set by Goa’s most expensive building yet. And in your village meanwhile the streetlights don’t work, the narrow village roads are potholed, you are forced to buy your own expensive UPS because the power supply is as inconsistent as the figures above. Worse, you won’t be invited to the gala opening of the Collectorate knowing well that will also cost you a small fortune. And in villages a few people continue to clean up the beaches which hordes of domestic tourists dirty for the good of the tourism industry. And yet on September 21, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat flew all the way to Delhi with a delegation to convince the Information & Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni not to pull the rug from under the Entertainment Society of Goa. Her ministry wants to reduce the Entertainment Society of Goa’s role in hosting this year’s International Film Festival of India for all the right reasons. But the Goa government can’t have that, can it, considering its other obsession is IFFI; and all the tax-free perks of a good life that go with organizing it? Proof of its fascination is in the very timing of his visit, made when Delhi was in a flap over Jammu & Kashmir under its worse siege ever and the Commonwealth Games about to go kaput. Life goes on.
Battle of the Bulge
The Navy’s growing a belly. You wouldn’t expect the Navy to get the acquisition bug too. A long time ago, the Navy locked down the old road to popular Bogmolo beach. It really hurt because you could cycle down to Bogmolo from Vasco da Gama. It was all done for a sacred cause, blah, blah. All the while, the Navy only employed more men and lost more aircraft, nothing else. The Navy is now going to acquire over 30 lakh sq mt including the traditional Bhimvel beach. The excuse this time is the fear terrorists might strike at aircraft from the islands which are to be acquired. Why not patrol the St. George islands from the seaside and maintain a land-based force equipped with night vision and whatever it takes? That would make everyone happy. I could point out a few thousand shanty homes in Zuarinagar where terrorists could launch shoulder- fired missiles, a high-rise hotel in Bogmolo with a gallery view of flying aircraft plus 5-star comfort, and a few hundred safe havens in Vasco da Gama to set up base. Why use the difficult island option when you can do your dirty work from the safety of land? In fact Vascoites have expressed fears that if the fuel storage tanks in the town containing millions of litres of fuel are blown up, there would be no Vasco and no Mormugao Port, and no Goa Shipyard which ironically builds only naval ships. But who cares?
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Only in Goa
Miss Moneypenny flows
It rained this year more than even Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, could have predicted even if he could be accused of shooting off yet another set of rigged up figures on climate change. In case, you’ve missed this – even global warming has had its unfair share of contradictions, around the world. But then if you are Indian today and doing well in A-broad, and it so happened that you were Rajendra Pachauri, the UN’s bureaucrat with a bee in his bonnet, you can be accused of anything especially if the accuser is a Brit leading newspaper and is called the ‘The Telegraph’. What you don’t know is that it rained in somebody else’s pocket (or many pockets for that matter) like rain water gushing through storm water drains. You could say, the rainfall was straight from the Mint for those with pockets like funnels, wide and channeled directly into some bank account. Either that or the mountains of mining rejects are getting the better of all the government’s feeble attempts to keep Bicholim from going under. My point being, then why waste money if the problem cannot be solved. It happened in Bicholim where Rs 8.84 crores was spent to desilt the Bicholim river which again this year took its wrath out on the residents of Bicholim town especially the Bandirwada and Gaonkarwada areas. Undertaken by the Water Resources Department, the flood control project was supposed to have been accomplished in three ways. 1. Improvement of waterway to Bicholim river from Kudchire to L.I.S Scheme, Vathadev –tendered to Pan Constructions. 2. Improvement to waterways from L.I.S Scheme to Dhabdhaba – tendered to Noorudheen Construction Pvt. Ltd. 3. Improvement of waterways from Dhabdhaba to Bagwada Pilgao – tendered to Apollo Engineers & Contractors Pvt. Ltd.
Diamonds Are Forever
Is a group of retired government babus trying to emulate Sachin Tendulkar who is never going to retire since he can pick and choose where to play? Or is it that a cabinet-full of selectors just want them to bat on, and on. The Chief Minister Digambar Kamat hired RA Verlekar as his officer on special duty. His age as you read this is 67 years and eleven months to be precise. His under secretary, Amrut Gaonkar is 64 years and ten months. He hired Jagdish Kalangutkar as section officer. His age as you read this is 60 years and four months, but that could be considered younger. Eight of his ministers all have OSD’s (doesn’t that sound like some kind of James Bond adaptation) over the age of sixty years. Licence to Kill or not, Joaquim Alemao’s Man Friday is 68 years and two months old. More power to their guns, but what I don’t understand is the government continuing to pay them a hefty pension because pension deductions are being made from their monthly salaries. BTW, Mickey Pacheco and his Man Friday split after many years of Bonding together. Turned out as Mickey says that while he was manning the cash counters, his Man Friday was on special duty secret assignments of the asset accumulation kind. There is a guestimated Rs 3-5 crore missing from the cash till and none of that I am told went overseas if you get my drift. It’s all here, in Goa, in hard real estate. What was that you said about two sides of the same coin?
Dr. No(Goan)
No silly, this has nothing to do with the Commissioner for NRI Affairs Eduardo Faleiro’s, project (the third edition) of bringing well-heeled Goans settled abroad on a holiday to Goa this November-December. This is about non-Goans employed as doctors in the Goa Medical College (GMC). Call it a limited edition. You thought doctors (lawyers too) was about the only career Goans choose and become. You were right. So, explain this then. How the GMC employed 66 non-Goan doctors till July 2010 and counting. In 2008 it hired 14 doctors. In the two months May-June, 2009 GMC hired 19 (of the 66) doctors and two more in December 2009. In 2010 five doctors were hired. The Goa Dental College & Hospital has 13 non-Goan doctors on its rolls. So, now we don’t have dentists too. You wish those Goan Diaspora holidaying here will get their teeth into this? I do too. The Goa College of Pharmacy has two. They were hired in 2009 and 2010 as lecturers. The Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour rehired two clinical pathologists after they retired in 2005.
For Your Eyes Only
The Goa Barge Owners Association (GBOA) president Atul Jadav is going around telling any newspaper that listens that Goa is in dire need of a maritime industrial estate. Inevitably, the case of the Dubai Maritime City was cited as evidence without the corollary of course, that abroad there is definite transparency and definitive law. It pissed off the Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira who called up Jadav. Thing is GBOA wants the government to acquire five lakh sq mts at Bhoma near the Cumbarjua canal. Blunder 1. He was cocksure that the new environment would be protected but agreed the present repair yards are polluting. Blunder 2. Is there a plan here because we have elected MLAs (four) who are barge owners among other business interests they have. Barge owners have themselves told me in the past that the playing field is getting crowded by the entry of outsiders with black money to burn. The barge business gives a huge opportunity. They complain about the China market cooling down. When business has been bad they simply took their barges to ports in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and even faraway Andhra Pradesh. In fact the barge business has evolved over decades from WWII Land Craft Vessels converted into barges to jumboization of barges in the 80’s, cutting them into halves and extending their size. To the huge 2,000-3,000 tonners of now. But the sheen is wearing off. There aren’t any big fleet owners to buy the 100 size 4,000 sq. mt plots envisaged in the maritime industrial estate.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
It rained this year more than even Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, could have predicted even if he could be accused of shooting off yet another set of rigged up figures on climate change. In case, you’ve missed this – even global warming has had its unfair share of contradictions, around the world. But then if you are Indian today and doing well in A-broad, and it so happened that you were Rajendra Pachauri, the UN’s bureaucrat with a bee in his bonnet, you can be accused of anything especially if the accuser is a Brit leading newspaper and is called the ‘The Telegraph’. What you don’t know is that it rained in somebody else’s pocket (or many pockets for that matter) like rain water gushing through storm water drains. You could say, the rainfall was straight from the Mint for those with pockets like funnels, wide and channeled directly into some bank account. Either that or the mountains of mining rejects are getting the better of all the government’s feeble attempts to keep Bicholim from going under. My point being, then why waste money if the problem cannot be solved. It happened in Bicholim where Rs 8.84 crores was spent to desilt the Bicholim river which again this year took its wrath out on the residents of Bicholim town especially the Bandirwada and Gaonkarwada areas. Undertaken by the Water Resources Department, the flood control project was supposed to have been accomplished in three ways. 1. Improvement of waterway to Bicholim river from Kudchire to L.I.S Scheme, Vathadev –tendered to Pan Constructions. 2. Improvement to waterways from L.I.S Scheme to Dhabdhaba – tendered to Noorudheen Construction Pvt. Ltd. 3. Improvement of waterways from Dhabdhaba to Bagwada Pilgao – tendered to Apollo Engineers & Contractors Pvt. Ltd.
Diamonds Are Forever
Is a group of retired government babus trying to emulate Sachin Tendulkar who is never going to retire since he can pick and choose where to play? Or is it that a cabinet-full of selectors just want them to bat on, and on. The Chief Minister Digambar Kamat hired RA Verlekar as his officer on special duty. His age as you read this is 67 years and eleven months to be precise. His under secretary, Amrut Gaonkar is 64 years and ten months. He hired Jagdish Kalangutkar as section officer. His age as you read this is 60 years and four months, but that could be considered younger. Eight of his ministers all have OSD’s (doesn’t that sound like some kind of James Bond adaptation) over the age of sixty years. Licence to Kill or not, Joaquim Alemao’s Man Friday is 68 years and two months old. More power to their guns, but what I don’t understand is the government continuing to pay them a hefty pension because pension deductions are being made from their monthly salaries. BTW, Mickey Pacheco and his Man Friday split after many years of Bonding together. Turned out as Mickey says that while he was manning the cash counters, his Man Friday was on special duty secret assignments of the asset accumulation kind. There is a guestimated Rs 3-5 crore missing from the cash till and none of that I am told went overseas if you get my drift. It’s all here, in Goa, in hard real estate. What was that you said about two sides of the same coin?
Dr. No(Goan)
No silly, this has nothing to do with the Commissioner for NRI Affairs Eduardo Faleiro’s, project (the third edition) of bringing well-heeled Goans settled abroad on a holiday to Goa this November-December. This is about non-Goans employed as doctors in the Goa Medical College (GMC). Call it a limited edition. You thought doctors (lawyers too) was about the only career Goans choose and become. You were right. So, explain this then. How the GMC employed 66 non-Goan doctors till July 2010 and counting. In 2008 it hired 14 doctors. In the two months May-June, 2009 GMC hired 19 (of the 66) doctors and two more in December 2009. In 2010 five doctors were hired. The Goa Dental College & Hospital has 13 non-Goan doctors on its rolls. So, now we don’t have dentists too. You wish those Goan Diaspora holidaying here will get their teeth into this? I do too. The Goa College of Pharmacy has two. They were hired in 2009 and 2010 as lecturers. The Institute of Psychiatry & Human Behaviour rehired two clinical pathologists after they retired in 2005.
For Your Eyes Only
The Goa Barge Owners Association (GBOA) president Atul Jadav is going around telling any newspaper that listens that Goa is in dire need of a maritime industrial estate. Inevitably, the case of the Dubai Maritime City was cited as evidence without the corollary of course, that abroad there is definite transparency and definitive law. It pissed off the Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira who called up Jadav. Thing is GBOA wants the government to acquire five lakh sq mts at Bhoma near the Cumbarjua canal. Blunder 1. He was cocksure that the new environment would be protected but agreed the present repair yards are polluting. Blunder 2. Is there a plan here because we have elected MLAs (four) who are barge owners among other business interests they have. Barge owners have themselves told me in the past that the playing field is getting crowded by the entry of outsiders with black money to burn. The barge business gives a huge opportunity. They complain about the China market cooling down. When business has been bad they simply took their barges to ports in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and even faraway Andhra Pradesh. In fact the barge business has evolved over decades from WWII Land Craft Vessels converted into barges to jumboization of barges in the 80’s, cutting them into halves and extending their size. To the huge 2,000-3,000 tonners of now. But the sheen is wearing off. There aren’t any big fleet owners to buy the 100 size 4,000 sq. mt plots envisaged in the maritime industrial estate.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Goascam
Marketing of a scam
This is how it’s done in scamgoa.com. First get the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to build something as big as is possible, like the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) market. For a size guestimate, look at the Ravindra Bhavan being built on the Verna-Dabolim bypass which you might have easily, as you passed by, thought was an indoor stadium. It’s so large, it literally breaks the skyline as you drive by. The GSIDC comes under the Minister for Urban Development Joaquim Alemao, so nothing goes suburban, if you get my drift. Everything stays in-house and nobody knows nothing, though we’ll get to that one day. When that happens, put it down as the mother of all scams.
For now we are concerned with scam No. 1 which began when the CCP’s councilors began to take “operational control” of the market complex. Now if you want a career as a thieving scoundrel then take note of the words ‘operational control’ because my friend, it will help you one day. Although I think quite a few Goan families practice it to the hilt. And just in case you pretend not to know, I am talking about yes, division of family property. Point is, it appears till date that no official allotment of the hundreds of shops and stalls was done from the first phase in 2003 till now. It’s possible that some councilors succeeded in ‘allotting’ some shops either to themselves or to their relatives. For the record, 37 shops with double height were built in phase I on the ground floor. Seventy-seven shops with single height were built on the ground floor in phase II, 446 platform spaces were built on the ground floor and 344 stalls built on the first floor. They are all occupied, yet no official allotment has been made! The scam is being investigated since July 2010 and the results if properly investigated by the CCP Commissioner should make Fox Crime (the channel) look amateur. Problem is, so far the CCP has come out with two reports, dated March 3 and July 9, 2010.
Mayoral Pleasure
Between July-August 2003, 52 ‘persons’ are said to have illegally occupied shops when Sanjit Rodrigues was the Commissioner and Ashok Naik the Mayor (May 4, 2003-July 17, 2004). They simply walked in and took over 37 shops of double height each with a carpet area of 18 sq.mt, and 15 other smaller-sized shops. Nobody knows how, but it happened despite GSIDC having a detailed official record of the occupants prior to the demolition (of the old market) matched with the shops/stalls they were to be allotted. The CCP has no record either of rents fixed or collected. It happens in Goa and happened again after phase II was completed and inaugurated in January 2007. This time around (between June 20, 2006-January 21, 2007) when Daulat Hawaldar was the Commissioner and Tony Rodrigues the Mayor, 62 shops were occupied. The CCP called it “occupational control”. A further 446 platform spaces were occupied by what the CCP described in its report as “different types of vendors.” The second CCP report said “the official roll was missing and the Mayor and a few councilors monitored shifting of the vendors and allotment of spaces.” It added: “Again, no record is available on the shifting of these vendors in the 2nd phase”. Now, try doing this anywhere in Goa, unless of course you are a migrant especially in Sancoale or chimbel, and believe me you will get your butt hauled to court.
Vendor’s rock
While India’s elite walk miles to get rid of their bulbous bellies, the poor walk miles just to get food. And so it is. At Panjim’s market, vendors’ rock and roll as happened again in January 2008, this time when Sanjiv Gadkar was the Commissioner or should I say Commissar and Tony Rodrigues continued to be the Mayor. This time, 344 stalls were ‘occupied’ and the report said, “this occupation took place, sans administrative intervention, directly under the supervision of the Mayor and some councilors”. Seriously, now at least do you see what I meant by ‘occupational control’. I was only trying to help. The report added: “In the light of what is stated, it will be improper for the present Commissioner (Elvis Gomes) to go into the roles of the above named, and if desired, the government may initiate a proper inquiry to be conducted by an independent authority to go into the entire issue”. A classic example of obfuscation made only in Goa and is tax free.
So, the next time you shop at the market, bargain like hell. Remember, the man/woman conning you has not paid rent, does not have a lease agreement and is using hardware (to make money) paid for by you. OK, so you need a booster shot? It could even ban you from the Commonwealth Games, if it takes place that is, and if you are suddenly accosted with a drug test. This is it. Huge bills amounting to Rs 12,06,952 and Rs 62,20,833 towards unpaid water and electricity consumption have piled up and continue climbing up as are the prices of the vegetables you are buying. Ditto for maintenance and repair costs. In fact bargain real hard on tomatoes especially, they contain the maximium (and cheapest in the market) antioxidants (glutathione) you need to clean up your insides from the heartburn of being a tax payer in Goa. There’s tea of course, but use that to calm your nerves. But again, you are Goan, nothing will have an effect on you. What a life!
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
This is how it’s done in scamgoa.com. First get the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to build something as big as is possible, like the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) market. For a size guestimate, look at the Ravindra Bhavan being built on the Verna-Dabolim bypass which you might have easily, as you passed by, thought was an indoor stadium. It’s so large, it literally breaks the skyline as you drive by. The GSIDC comes under the Minister for Urban Development Joaquim Alemao, so nothing goes suburban, if you get my drift. Everything stays in-house and nobody knows nothing, though we’ll get to that one day. When that happens, put it down as the mother of all scams.
For now we are concerned with scam No. 1 which began when the CCP’s councilors began to take “operational control” of the market complex. Now if you want a career as a thieving scoundrel then take note of the words ‘operational control’ because my friend, it will help you one day. Although I think quite a few Goan families practice it to the hilt. And just in case you pretend not to know, I am talking about yes, division of family property. Point is, it appears till date that no official allotment of the hundreds of shops and stalls was done from the first phase in 2003 till now. It’s possible that some councilors succeeded in ‘allotting’ some shops either to themselves or to their relatives. For the record, 37 shops with double height were built in phase I on the ground floor. Seventy-seven shops with single height were built on the ground floor in phase II, 446 platform spaces were built on the ground floor and 344 stalls built on the first floor. They are all occupied, yet no official allotment has been made! The scam is being investigated since July 2010 and the results if properly investigated by the CCP Commissioner should make Fox Crime (the channel) look amateur. Problem is, so far the CCP has come out with two reports, dated March 3 and July 9, 2010.
Mayoral Pleasure
Between July-August 2003, 52 ‘persons’ are said to have illegally occupied shops when Sanjit Rodrigues was the Commissioner and Ashok Naik the Mayor (May 4, 2003-July 17, 2004). They simply walked in and took over 37 shops of double height each with a carpet area of 18 sq.mt, and 15 other smaller-sized shops. Nobody knows how, but it happened despite GSIDC having a detailed official record of the occupants prior to the demolition (of the old market) matched with the shops/stalls they were to be allotted. The CCP has no record either of rents fixed or collected. It happens in Goa and happened again after phase II was completed and inaugurated in January 2007. This time around (between June 20, 2006-January 21, 2007) when Daulat Hawaldar was the Commissioner and Tony Rodrigues the Mayor, 62 shops were occupied. The CCP called it “occupational control”. A further 446 platform spaces were occupied by what the CCP described in its report as “different types of vendors.” The second CCP report said “the official roll was missing and the Mayor and a few councilors monitored shifting of the vendors and allotment of spaces.” It added: “Again, no record is available on the shifting of these vendors in the 2nd phase”. Now, try doing this anywhere in Goa, unless of course you are a migrant especially in Sancoale or chimbel, and believe me you will get your butt hauled to court.
Vendor’s rock
While India’s elite walk miles to get rid of their bulbous bellies, the poor walk miles just to get food. And so it is. At Panjim’s market, vendors’ rock and roll as happened again in January 2008, this time when Sanjiv Gadkar was the Commissioner or should I say Commissar and Tony Rodrigues continued to be the Mayor. This time, 344 stalls were ‘occupied’ and the report said, “this occupation took place, sans administrative intervention, directly under the supervision of the Mayor and some councilors”. Seriously, now at least do you see what I meant by ‘occupational control’. I was only trying to help. The report added: “In the light of what is stated, it will be improper for the present Commissioner (Elvis Gomes) to go into the roles of the above named, and if desired, the government may initiate a proper inquiry to be conducted by an independent authority to go into the entire issue”. A classic example of obfuscation made only in Goa and is tax free.
So, the next time you shop at the market, bargain like hell. Remember, the man/woman conning you has not paid rent, does not have a lease agreement and is using hardware (to make money) paid for by you. OK, so you need a booster shot? It could even ban you from the Commonwealth Games, if it takes place that is, and if you are suddenly accosted with a drug test. This is it. Huge bills amounting to Rs 12,06,952 and Rs 62,20,833 towards unpaid water and electricity consumption have piled up and continue climbing up as are the prices of the vegetables you are buying. Ditto for maintenance and repair costs. In fact bargain real hard on tomatoes especially, they contain the maximium (and cheapest in the market) antioxidants (glutathione) you need to clean up your insides from the heartburn of being a tax payer in Goa. There’s tea of course, but use that to calm your nerves. But again, you are Goan, nothing will have an effect on you. What a life!
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Polluters do not pay
Sheriff of Nottingham
Phew, I got tired of the number crunching the last two weeks, so I am going to give us all a respite. I’m just yanking your chain. Sorry, doesn’t happen that way by a long shot. But you know what, when you all wake up from your deep-seated sleep, then maybe we can at least stop the politician at the door, if not shut the door on him. Till then here’s another adrenalin rush. The Sheriff of Nottingham otherwise known as Filipe Neri Rodrigues, the Forest Minister. called another meeting of the Goa State Board for Wildlife that has now come to be virtually an annual affair. The August 25 meet, it turned out, was destined to miss out on crucial issues at hand. Last year, at a similar meet, a tiger enclosure for Bondla was shoved into the faces of all those who attended on the day of the meeting itself. This meet was concerned only with the Goa Forest Development’s intent to tie up with Southern River Adventures & Sports Pvt. Ltd. Now, anything that happens in Goa is through the back door, or through a window left ajar. Never the front door.
Pity the Madhei river
The people living in a 15 km stretch of river from Codal on the northern tributary of the Mhadei which joins the eastern tributary coming from Krishnapur and ending at Sonal, will if this plan is followed through, be the next recipients of a whole slew of irritants including roughnecks who will mix the effervescence of booze with the froth of white water rafting. That, of course in the name of tourism and who gives a crap what you and I think. This is how the Sheriff of Nottingham looks at it, and I quote the actual minutes of the meet: “This stretch of river offers stunning scenery, many exciting rapids (approx. 30) and is perhaps the most challenging than any other rafting section in South India. As in Dandeli, the Mhadei section runs through the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, though at no point of time will forest be touched enroute to any place. It is only the waters which will be used with both the start (Codal-Derodem bridge) and finish point (Sonal) out of the sanctuary limits.” They said that of the sand dunes, remember; of the beaches, of public access to beaches, of the River Princess (the salvage, that is), of IFFI (International Film Festival of India), of SEZs (Special Economic Zones), of, of ……..; all those were pushed through, delete that, bulldozed over you because they were supposed to be good for you. Look what happened. No dunes, 5-star hotels where depleting beaches stood, an iffy IFFI, a stranded Princess and SEZs entangled in lawsuits.
Will Dudhsagar fall?
A board member Tribolo D’Souza raised the issue again of freeing the limit on the number (98) of vehicles permitted to take tourists to Dudhsagar falls. I am told he does this as ritualistically as the monsoons falling over the Western Ghats. The limit was rightly imposed to protect the area which is part of the Bhagwan Mahavir National Park. Now, apart from being a pal of a pal of the Sheriff of Nottingham, D’Souza owns taxis and has a restaurant there. What more can I say? In fact, the entire approach to the 4/6 laning of NH4A which was on the agenda, was how should I say, as wanting as the Board’s will to protect wildlife.
The ‘Kala’ of money
This government has a compulsive obsession with building Ravindra Bhavans and Kala Bhavans. Its stated policy is that these edifices are built when people want them, only then. Since you and I have not gone stark raving mad yet despite all that happens around us, we know that’s not true. And culture vultures we are not. The things we want, we don’t get, garbage clearance being just one in a growing list of To Do’s. For many senior citizens these wishes must have gone into their Bucket List. The government had approved Ravindra Bhavans/mini Kala Bhavans for Sanquelim, Mormugao, Pernem, Mapusa, Canacona and Valpoi. Which means your wish list won’t fructify even into the next decade. Because all your tax bucks are poured like concrete into making Goa a haven for bhavans. The score so far; the Ravindra Bhavan at Curchorem, the Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir at Ponda and the Ravindra Bhavan at Margao have been constructed. The Ravindra Bhavan at Sanquelim and the Ravindra Bhavan at Baina in Vasco da Gama and the Ravindra Bhavan on the Verna-Dabolim bypass are under construction.
…And it’s Green
The cost of the newly installed sound system at the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao is believe it or not Rs 54,95,692. With that money, the entire village you live in could have been beautified for posterity. Bad news, I know. It gets worse. The amount spent on the old sound system was Rs 24,06,325. That’s Rs 79,02,017 only to make loud sounds. It cost you and I Rs 38,52,800 to replace the chairs. The total cost on capital expenditure incurred till this year was Rs 25,63,74,861. The cost of maintenance incurred since its inauguration was Rs 26,93,537. And I am told you could get your doctorate if you investigated the repairs that have been carried out to the south west walls and the ceiling of the foyer area of the main building. When last heard of, the PWD was asked to recover the cost of the work from the contractor. Add that to your thesis. Yes, it’s that same PWD that can’t get its contractors to build decent roads. Finally, to add insult to your injury be advised that the Margao bhavan was partly constructed on Communidade land that was acquired by the government probably for peanuts. And the winner is the Chief Minister who is also the Minister for Art & Culture, Digambar Kamat.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Phew, I got tired of the number crunching the last two weeks, so I am going to give us all a respite. I’m just yanking your chain. Sorry, doesn’t happen that way by a long shot. But you know what, when you all wake up from your deep-seated sleep, then maybe we can at least stop the politician at the door, if not shut the door on him. Till then here’s another adrenalin rush. The Sheriff of Nottingham otherwise known as Filipe Neri Rodrigues, the Forest Minister. called another meeting of the Goa State Board for Wildlife that has now come to be virtually an annual affair. The August 25 meet, it turned out, was destined to miss out on crucial issues at hand. Last year, at a similar meet, a tiger enclosure for Bondla was shoved into the faces of all those who attended on the day of the meeting itself. This meet was concerned only with the Goa Forest Development’s intent to tie up with Southern River Adventures & Sports Pvt. Ltd. Now, anything that happens in Goa is through the back door, or through a window left ajar. Never the front door.
Pity the Madhei river
The people living in a 15 km stretch of river from Codal on the northern tributary of the Mhadei which joins the eastern tributary coming from Krishnapur and ending at Sonal, will if this plan is followed through, be the next recipients of a whole slew of irritants including roughnecks who will mix the effervescence of booze with the froth of white water rafting. That, of course in the name of tourism and who gives a crap what you and I think. This is how the Sheriff of Nottingham looks at it, and I quote the actual minutes of the meet: “This stretch of river offers stunning scenery, many exciting rapids (approx. 30) and is perhaps the most challenging than any other rafting section in South India. As in Dandeli, the Mhadei section runs through the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, though at no point of time will forest be touched enroute to any place. It is only the waters which will be used with both the start (Codal-Derodem bridge) and finish point (Sonal) out of the sanctuary limits.” They said that of the sand dunes, remember; of the beaches, of public access to beaches, of the River Princess (the salvage, that is), of IFFI (International Film Festival of India), of SEZs (Special Economic Zones), of, of ……..; all those were pushed through, delete that, bulldozed over you because they were supposed to be good for you. Look what happened. No dunes, 5-star hotels where depleting beaches stood, an iffy IFFI, a stranded Princess and SEZs entangled in lawsuits.
Will Dudhsagar fall?
A board member Tribolo D’Souza raised the issue again of freeing the limit on the number (98) of vehicles permitted to take tourists to Dudhsagar falls. I am told he does this as ritualistically as the monsoons falling over the Western Ghats. The limit was rightly imposed to protect the area which is part of the Bhagwan Mahavir National Park. Now, apart from being a pal of a pal of the Sheriff of Nottingham, D’Souza owns taxis and has a restaurant there. What more can I say? In fact, the entire approach to the 4/6 laning of NH4A which was on the agenda, was how should I say, as wanting as the Board’s will to protect wildlife.
The ‘Kala’ of money
This government has a compulsive obsession with building Ravindra Bhavans and Kala Bhavans. Its stated policy is that these edifices are built when people want them, only then. Since you and I have not gone stark raving mad yet despite all that happens around us, we know that’s not true. And culture vultures we are not. The things we want, we don’t get, garbage clearance being just one in a growing list of To Do’s. For many senior citizens these wishes must have gone into their Bucket List. The government had approved Ravindra Bhavans/mini Kala Bhavans for Sanquelim, Mormugao, Pernem, Mapusa, Canacona and Valpoi. Which means your wish list won’t fructify even into the next decade. Because all your tax bucks are poured like concrete into making Goa a haven for bhavans. The score so far; the Ravindra Bhavan at Curchorem, the Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir at Ponda and the Ravindra Bhavan at Margao have been constructed. The Ravindra Bhavan at Sanquelim and the Ravindra Bhavan at Baina in Vasco da Gama and the Ravindra Bhavan on the Verna-Dabolim bypass are under construction.
…And it’s Green
The cost of the newly installed sound system at the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao is believe it or not Rs 54,95,692. With that money, the entire village you live in could have been beautified for posterity. Bad news, I know. It gets worse. The amount spent on the old sound system was Rs 24,06,325. That’s Rs 79,02,017 only to make loud sounds. It cost you and I Rs 38,52,800 to replace the chairs. The total cost on capital expenditure incurred till this year was Rs 25,63,74,861. The cost of maintenance incurred since its inauguration was Rs 26,93,537. And I am told you could get your doctorate if you investigated the repairs that have been carried out to the south west walls and the ceiling of the foyer area of the main building. When last heard of, the PWD was asked to recover the cost of the work from the contractor. Add that to your thesis. Yes, it’s that same PWD that can’t get its contractors to build decent roads. Finally, to add insult to your injury be advised that the Margao bhavan was partly constructed on Communidade land that was acquired by the government probably for peanuts. And the winner is the Chief Minister who is also the Minister for Art & Culture, Digambar Kamat.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Wining and Dining Faleiro-style
The chosen ones
Last week you read how Rs 3,31,47,262 was spent on the shenanigans of the NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro. When I said partying at conventions, I was serious, very serious. Here’s how some of that money was spent. A symposium on NRIs and family values held at the Goa International Centre, Dona Paula in Panjim on July 22, 2006 cost Rs 2,89,418. A huge sum of Rs 39,31,470 was spent on the Global Goans Convention 2007 held at the Cidade de Goa (yes, the chosen one) on January 3-5, 2007. Rs 7,23,421 was blown up on the 7th Know India programme for Diaspora youth on September 2-15, 2007. No venue was specified in the RTI data. A conference on Indian expats in the Gulf held at Hotel Mandovi, Panjim on March 29, 2008 cost Rs 1,98,308. A sum of Rs 3,88,740 was spent on a conference on building bridges with Africa on July 12, 2008 at the Cidade de Goa. The 1st Know Goa programme for Goan diaspora youth held jointly in Goa and Delhi on November 30 and December 14 of 2008 cost you Rs 13,47,689. I can’t begin to tell you how many times these well-heeled Goan youth must have holidayed in Goa prior to this extravaganza, and now we give them a paid holiday in Goa and one to Delhi just for good measure. Then there was Faleiro’s magnum opus: a conference on migration trends and the Goa Migration Study 2008 at the Goa International Centre held on October 9, 2009. Cost: Rs 1,66,180. Also, if you recall from last Sunday, the study cost Rs 20L, and Faleiro also flew to Kerala at a cost Rs 1,39,781 for the purpose.
More tears for tax-payers
Next he organized a 2nd Know Goa programme in Goa and Delhi from November 30-December 14, 2008 an extravaganza that cost you Rs 14,99,877. Makes you want to pull out your hair. Finally, a conference called ‘Goans in Europe and Europeans in Goa: Cultural experiences and identity’ at Hotel Nova Goa, Panjim on December 11, 2009 that cost Rs 52,949. Yes, I know that word identity again, and all that money blown on a Lost Cause. Hollywood makes sequels, Faleiro makes re-runs of lost causes or as some would say lost cause found again. In the end, the lost cause really was the Rs 85,98,052 spent on partying at conventions. And when they were not carousing, they were flying.
The joy(stick) of flying
Between Faleiro, VAdm John D’Silva (retd), Chairman of the Overseas Employment Agency of Goa, and U.D Kamat, the Director for NRI Affairs, they spent Rs 4,22,781 on flying within the country in 2009-10. Faleiro did that Kerala trip that cost Rs 1,39,781 on May 10-17, 2009. He flew to Bangalore on July 1-8 – Rs 40,746, to Delhi on August 2-8 - Rs 59,247, to Delhi on October 20-24 - Rs 1,22,715 and to Bangalore again on January 25-31, 2010 - Rs 9,277. It’s been questioned here before and needs to be posed again. How on earth do Goa’s politicians pay well over Rs 1L for a single (allegedly) ticket? D’Silva flew to Delhi on July 22-25, 2009 – Rs 10,651, to Bangalore and Delhi on August 23-30 – Rs 9,118 and to Delhi on September 7-10, 2009 – Rs 23,248. Kamat flew once, to Hyderabad, on July 25-27 – Rs 7,998. If you see the humour in it, Faleiro’s flying abroad in fact could entitle him to become a non-resident Goan himself. Well, at least, a BRG (barely resident Goan).
Run(away) costs
In 2008-09 Rs 8,14,833 of your tax bucks was spent on them flying within the country. You could also call it run(away) costs of flying and the pun is hugely intended. Faleiro flew to Delhi on April 24-26, 2008 - Rs 38,885, to Delhi, Vishakapatnam and Hyderabad on June 22-July 6 – Rs 62,333, to Delhi on August 20-27 – Rs 46,985, to Delhi on September 20-23 – at a huge cost of Rs 99,156, to Delhi again on October 19-23 – at a massive, massive cost of Rs 1,46,557, to Delhi on October 28-November 1 – Rs 55,397, to Mumbai on November 11-17 – Rs 25,070, to Delhi on March 1-6, 2009 – again incurring a massive Rs 1,60,997. The question is why did Faleiro spend Rs 6,35,680 flying mostly between April-November of 2008 to destinations one can safely assume had little or nothing to do with his job (officially at least) at hand. Incidentally, both D’Silva and Kamat also did their bit of flying --to the same destinations. So were they shadowing Faleiro or simply duplicating his work? D’Silva flew to Delhi (2), Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram, while Kamat flew to Delhi (5), Hyderabad and Mumbai. In 2007-08 the trio spent Rs 5,33,805, Faleiro doing the bulk of the costlier flying once again. Like his Rs 1,06,789 flight to Delhi on October 21-27, 2007, another to Mumbai-Vishakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Mumbai on July 2-8, 2007 – Rs 47,194 and another to Mumbai on January 3-6, 2008 - Rs 53,472. D’Silva flew Bangalore-Hyderabad-Chennai on April 17-20, 2007 – Rs 41,388. In all they flew 19 times, the same as the year earlier. In 2006-07 they flew 15 times at a cost to you of Rs 3,42,649, D’Silva making a Rs 31,780 flight to Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram, a destination that also attracted Kamat.
Report on the report
I know you are curious, so here are the facts. The cost of the Goa Migration Study 2008 was Rs 20L, while the cost of flying to Thiruvananthapuram where the study was invented was Rs 2,03,522. If you like to see it, it’s available at the office of the Commissioner for NRI Affairs at the Porvorim Secretariat. But don’t bother, you won’t find anything you already don’t know.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Last week you read how Rs 3,31,47,262 was spent on the shenanigans of the NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro. When I said partying at conventions, I was serious, very serious. Here’s how some of that money was spent. A symposium on NRIs and family values held at the Goa International Centre, Dona Paula in Panjim on July 22, 2006 cost Rs 2,89,418. A huge sum of Rs 39,31,470 was spent on the Global Goans Convention 2007 held at the Cidade de Goa (yes, the chosen one) on January 3-5, 2007. Rs 7,23,421 was blown up on the 7th Know India programme for Diaspora youth on September 2-15, 2007. No venue was specified in the RTI data. A conference on Indian expats in the Gulf held at Hotel Mandovi, Panjim on March 29, 2008 cost Rs 1,98,308. A sum of Rs 3,88,740 was spent on a conference on building bridges with Africa on July 12, 2008 at the Cidade de Goa. The 1st Know Goa programme for Goan diaspora youth held jointly in Goa and Delhi on November 30 and December 14 of 2008 cost you Rs 13,47,689. I can’t begin to tell you how many times these well-heeled Goan youth must have holidayed in Goa prior to this extravaganza, and now we give them a paid holiday in Goa and one to Delhi just for good measure. Then there was Faleiro’s magnum opus: a conference on migration trends and the Goa Migration Study 2008 at the Goa International Centre held on October 9, 2009. Cost: Rs 1,66,180. Also, if you recall from last Sunday, the study cost Rs 20L, and Faleiro also flew to Kerala at a cost Rs 1,39,781 for the purpose.
More tears for tax-payers
Next he organized a 2nd Know Goa programme in Goa and Delhi from November 30-December 14, 2008 an extravaganza that cost you Rs 14,99,877. Makes you want to pull out your hair. Finally, a conference called ‘Goans in Europe and Europeans in Goa: Cultural experiences and identity’ at Hotel Nova Goa, Panjim on December 11, 2009 that cost Rs 52,949. Yes, I know that word identity again, and all that money blown on a Lost Cause. Hollywood makes sequels, Faleiro makes re-runs of lost causes or as some would say lost cause found again. In the end, the lost cause really was the Rs 85,98,052 spent on partying at conventions. And when they were not carousing, they were flying.
The joy(stick) of flying
Between Faleiro, VAdm John D’Silva (retd), Chairman of the Overseas Employment Agency of Goa, and U.D Kamat, the Director for NRI Affairs, they spent Rs 4,22,781 on flying within the country in 2009-10. Faleiro did that Kerala trip that cost Rs 1,39,781 on May 10-17, 2009. He flew to Bangalore on July 1-8 – Rs 40,746, to Delhi on August 2-8 - Rs 59,247, to Delhi on October 20-24 - Rs 1,22,715 and to Bangalore again on January 25-31, 2010 - Rs 9,277. It’s been questioned here before and needs to be posed again. How on earth do Goa’s politicians pay well over Rs 1L for a single (allegedly) ticket? D’Silva flew to Delhi on July 22-25, 2009 – Rs 10,651, to Bangalore and Delhi on August 23-30 – Rs 9,118 and to Delhi on September 7-10, 2009 – Rs 23,248. Kamat flew once, to Hyderabad, on July 25-27 – Rs 7,998. If you see the humour in it, Faleiro’s flying abroad in fact could entitle him to become a non-resident Goan himself. Well, at least, a BRG (barely resident Goan).
Run(away) costs
In 2008-09 Rs 8,14,833 of your tax bucks was spent on them flying within the country. You could also call it run(away) costs of flying and the pun is hugely intended. Faleiro flew to Delhi on April 24-26, 2008 - Rs 38,885, to Delhi, Vishakapatnam and Hyderabad on June 22-July 6 – Rs 62,333, to Delhi on August 20-27 – Rs 46,985, to Delhi on September 20-23 – at a huge cost of Rs 99,156, to Delhi again on October 19-23 – at a massive, massive cost of Rs 1,46,557, to Delhi on October 28-November 1 – Rs 55,397, to Mumbai on November 11-17 – Rs 25,070, to Delhi on March 1-6, 2009 – again incurring a massive Rs 1,60,997. The question is why did Faleiro spend Rs 6,35,680 flying mostly between April-November of 2008 to destinations one can safely assume had little or nothing to do with his job (officially at least) at hand. Incidentally, both D’Silva and Kamat also did their bit of flying --to the same destinations. So were they shadowing Faleiro or simply duplicating his work? D’Silva flew to Delhi (2), Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram, while Kamat flew to Delhi (5), Hyderabad and Mumbai. In 2007-08 the trio spent Rs 5,33,805, Faleiro doing the bulk of the costlier flying once again. Like his Rs 1,06,789 flight to Delhi on October 21-27, 2007, another to Mumbai-Vishakhapatnam-Hyderabad-Mumbai on July 2-8, 2007 – Rs 47,194 and another to Mumbai on January 3-6, 2008 - Rs 53,472. D’Silva flew Bangalore-Hyderabad-Chennai on April 17-20, 2007 – Rs 41,388. In all they flew 19 times, the same as the year earlier. In 2006-07 they flew 15 times at a cost to you of Rs 3,42,649, D’Silva making a Rs 31,780 flight to Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram, a destination that also attracted Kamat.
Report on the report
I know you are curious, so here are the facts. The cost of the Goa Migration Study 2008 was Rs 20L, while the cost of flying to Thiruvananthapuram where the study was invented was Rs 2,03,522. If you like to see it, it’s available at the office of the Commissioner for NRI Affairs at the Porvorim Secretariat. But don’t bother, you won’t find anything you already don’t know.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Faleiro Flying Files
Nature of the beast -Public Office
Who can blame you, if after you read this you want to avoid the taxman for eternity? In other words like the statutory warning that says smoking could be injurious to your health, reading this is. Certainly don’t show it to your kids, they may want to become politicians. Aires Rodrigues, that other pain in the butt for many, says Rs 3,31,47,262, that is, 3 crores 31 lakh 47 thousand 262 rupees of your tax bucks was spent on NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro and on his often desolate office in the Secretariat at Porvorim from February 23, 2006 till June this year. As you will see, considerable amounts of it were spent combusting aviation fuel, precisely Rs 28,93,260, only on travels abroad sometimes along with his two buddies U.D Kamat, the Director, NRI Affairs and Vice Adm. John D’Silva (retd), Chairman, Overseas Employment Agency of Goa (OEAG), a post that Faleiro created as an extension of the gravy train. Their travels within India cost you Rs 13,53,342 in tax bucks. Total: Rs 42,46,602. Airline counters must love the sight of him in these days of crippling aviation fuel costs and price wars. So does the Kerala-based Centre for Development Studies (CDS) which was paid Rs 20L to do that Goa Migration Study 2008 which I am positive if you googled, you could learn more about the subject. Or, simply choose to ask any one of the many Goan associations abroad which I can vouch will give you authentic answers. Because, talking migration and identity loss has a richly stimulating effect on quite a few Goans these days. Which is perhaps what Faleiro had in mind to be fair to him, but he got his modus operandi all wrong.
Praise the Lord for tax money
Hallelujah. You can almost hear Faleiro saying that. But shed tears for the tax-payer. I have not seen the report but I wonder how CDS could have researched; 1) The magnitudes and dimensions of migration from Goa and return migration to Goa; 2) Assess annual flow and estimation of remittances from Goan emigrants; 3) Study socio-economic effect of migration on households; 4) Understand rehabilitation issues of return emigrants; within a short span of time. Because the 2008 report was released (released, not handed over to Faleiro) on June 2, 2009. Bingo, Faleiro did make an expensive trip to Kerala on May 10-17, 2009 that cost you Rs 1,39,781 which I know makes you wonder because for that price you could fly around the world. The researchers would have had to run through entire Goa to research any one of the parameters, leave alone all three in so short a time. In fact, it would be interesting to evaluate the flow of remittances if at all the researchers got within even an arm’s length of the figures. I doubt if the Reserve Bank of India has a ballpark figure considering the complexities involved and types (including destinations from) of remittances. Who approved the research methodology? Say a short prayer for Goa University which has at least some Goans and as a result could have done a better job. At least GU would have been answerable to the Goan tax-payer.
During that time Feb 2006-June 2010 Faleiro’s rent-free NRI office cost you Rs 67,63,055 on salaries. He gave out grant-in-aid of Rs 30L, that is Rs 20L in 2007-08, Rs 5L each in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Advertising his feats cost Rs 17,72,223. Professional services cost Rs 1,65,717. Other charges, whatever that is, took up Rs 1,60,37,914, I kid you not. Bottomline, while his flying cost Rs 42,46,602, office expenses cost Rs 2,89,00,660. What did it achieve? Positively nothing, apart from the partying at conventions abroad, that is.
Green grass on the other side
If you think there must have been some positive gains from all that expenditure, think again. After all Churchill Alemao, who knows best what is good for south Goa (and now Karwar too) did say all those mega housing projects provide jobs to Goans as security guards. Then believe this, because under the head achievements, this is what the Under Secretary, Home Department, Foreigner’s & Citizenship Division, has to say: 1) “The OEAG has imparted skill up-gradation and foreign orientation”. 2) On the migration study: “Goa is the second State after Kerala to have done a scientific migration study”. 3) “Goa Cards have been issued to nearly 500 Goan expatriates so far on request on payment of Rs 250. Holders get faster access and better attention from government offices and the benefits include concessions by government undertakings, private hospitals, and hotels.” 4) The Goa Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control Act, 1968 was amended to protect the property rights of NRIs. 5) A website globalgoans.org.in was hosted. 6) A “well represented” state level committee reportedly solves grievances of non-resident Goans and has “taken up follow-up action on various issues with the departments concerned and resolved several issues to the satisfaction of affected NRGs.” The under-secretary’s five-page report however did not give a stitch of evidence to support any of the ‘achievements’ of the Commissioner for NRI Affairs. 7) “A Goa scholarships programme for Diaspora children was established”. 8) “My Village scheme for expatriates keen to participate in developing their villages and towns in Goa was established.” There are more ‘achievement’ claims in the report like expediting compensation provided by the United Nations Claims Commission for Kuwaiti war victims which would otherwise have lapsed. But you would like to see the list, wouldn’t you? I would too, thank you. In fact, do check the website and make your own informed judgement.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
Who can blame you, if after you read this you want to avoid the taxman for eternity? In other words like the statutory warning that says smoking could be injurious to your health, reading this is. Certainly don’t show it to your kids, they may want to become politicians. Aires Rodrigues, that other pain in the butt for many, says Rs 3,31,47,262, that is, 3 crores 31 lakh 47 thousand 262 rupees of your tax bucks was spent on NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro and on his often desolate office in the Secretariat at Porvorim from February 23, 2006 till June this year. As you will see, considerable amounts of it were spent combusting aviation fuel, precisely Rs 28,93,260, only on travels abroad sometimes along with his two buddies U.D Kamat, the Director, NRI Affairs and Vice Adm. John D’Silva (retd), Chairman, Overseas Employment Agency of Goa (OEAG), a post that Faleiro created as an extension of the gravy train. Their travels within India cost you Rs 13,53,342 in tax bucks. Total: Rs 42,46,602. Airline counters must love the sight of him in these days of crippling aviation fuel costs and price wars. So does the Kerala-based Centre for Development Studies (CDS) which was paid Rs 20L to do that Goa Migration Study 2008 which I am positive if you googled, you could learn more about the subject. Or, simply choose to ask any one of the many Goan associations abroad which I can vouch will give you authentic answers. Because, talking migration and identity loss has a richly stimulating effect on quite a few Goans these days. Which is perhaps what Faleiro had in mind to be fair to him, but he got his modus operandi all wrong.
Praise the Lord for tax money
Hallelujah. You can almost hear Faleiro saying that. But shed tears for the tax-payer. I have not seen the report but I wonder how CDS could have researched; 1) The magnitudes and dimensions of migration from Goa and return migration to Goa; 2) Assess annual flow and estimation of remittances from Goan emigrants; 3) Study socio-economic effect of migration on households; 4) Understand rehabilitation issues of return emigrants; within a short span of time. Because the 2008 report was released (released, not handed over to Faleiro) on June 2, 2009. Bingo, Faleiro did make an expensive trip to Kerala on May 10-17, 2009 that cost you Rs 1,39,781 which I know makes you wonder because for that price you could fly around the world. The researchers would have had to run through entire Goa to research any one of the parameters, leave alone all three in so short a time. In fact, it would be interesting to evaluate the flow of remittances if at all the researchers got within even an arm’s length of the figures. I doubt if the Reserve Bank of India has a ballpark figure considering the complexities involved and types (including destinations from) of remittances. Who approved the research methodology? Say a short prayer for Goa University which has at least some Goans and as a result could have done a better job. At least GU would have been answerable to the Goan tax-payer.
During that time Feb 2006-June 2010 Faleiro’s rent-free NRI office cost you Rs 67,63,055 on salaries. He gave out grant-in-aid of Rs 30L, that is Rs 20L in 2007-08, Rs 5L each in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Advertising his feats cost Rs 17,72,223. Professional services cost Rs 1,65,717. Other charges, whatever that is, took up Rs 1,60,37,914, I kid you not. Bottomline, while his flying cost Rs 42,46,602, office expenses cost Rs 2,89,00,660. What did it achieve? Positively nothing, apart from the partying at conventions abroad, that is.
Green grass on the other side
If you think there must have been some positive gains from all that expenditure, think again. After all Churchill Alemao, who knows best what is good for south Goa (and now Karwar too) did say all those mega housing projects provide jobs to Goans as security guards. Then believe this, because under the head achievements, this is what the Under Secretary, Home Department, Foreigner’s & Citizenship Division, has to say: 1) “The OEAG has imparted skill up-gradation and foreign orientation”. 2) On the migration study: “Goa is the second State after Kerala to have done a scientific migration study”. 3) “Goa Cards have been issued to nearly 500 Goan expatriates so far on request on payment of Rs 250. Holders get faster access and better attention from government offices and the benefits include concessions by government undertakings, private hospitals, and hotels.” 4) The Goa Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control Act, 1968 was amended to protect the property rights of NRIs. 5) A website globalgoans.org.in was hosted. 6) A “well represented” state level committee reportedly solves grievances of non-resident Goans and has “taken up follow-up action on various issues with the departments concerned and resolved several issues to the satisfaction of affected NRGs.” The under-secretary’s five-page report however did not give a stitch of evidence to support any of the ‘achievements’ of the Commissioner for NRI Affairs. 7) “A Goa scholarships programme for Diaspora children was established”. 8) “My Village scheme for expatriates keen to participate in developing their villages and towns in Goa was established.” There are more ‘achievement’ claims in the report like expediting compensation provided by the United Nations Claims Commission for Kuwaiti war victims which would otherwise have lapsed. But you would like to see the list, wouldn’t you? I would too, thank you. In fact, do check the website and make your own informed judgement.
(feedback lionroars.goa@gmail.com, 9822152164)
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