Build, build, build, Fly, Fly, Fly

Around The World In 365 Days –5

Goa's Flying Circus
Wait till you see the flight expenses of the government IAS officers. That added to the cost of flying our montris to Delhi, that almost on paper looks like a shuttle service, all add up to a mind blowing expense. And imagine, they already had a secretariat in Panjim, than they went and built another one in Porvorim at a tremendous cost. It just goes on and on, build, build, build, fly, fly, fly. But then who are we to criticize Goa's new rulers, after all Churchill has proclaimed time and again that development equals putting up concrete jungles on peoples' land. Even Babu Kavlekar is no longer confused between SEZ, food parks and auxiliary parks. But not Churchill, goggles on, crash helmet on, firmly saddled in his PWD seat, he is on the fast lane or should we call it four-lane to 'development.'

Intriguingly Parrikar and Ravi Naik's (and especially his) extensive flying to Mumbai that apart from raising your hackles also raise deep suspicions. Ravi Naik's as I said look like blatant junkets because his flights were overwhelmingly to Mumbai. Just for the record Rs1,41,965 of tax money was spent flying him exclusively to Mumbai from a total of Rs2,80,422 in the short period researched.

Manohar Parrikar
12-16 November 2000 Mumbai/Delhi Rs33,114, 21-26 December 2000 Bangalore/Mumbai R25,177, 3-5 January 2001, 27-29 January 2001 Delhi Rs14,685,
10-12 January 2001 Mumbai/Nagpur, 2-4 March 2001 Delhi Rs14,685, 2-4 April 2001 Delhi Rs14,685, 16-19 April 2001 Delhi Rs15,007, 6-8 May 2001 Mumbai Rs5,672, 26-28 May 2001 Mumbai Rs5,180, 24-27 June 2001 Mumbai/Rajkot Rs11,097, 13-14 August 2001 Mumbai Rs5,542, 24-29 July 2001 Delhi/Jaipur/Mumbai Rs16,255, 25-27 August 2001 Poona/Mumbai Rs7,597, 31 August-2 September 2001 Delhi Rs15,525, 11-12 September 2001 Mumbai Rs5,542, 20-21 September 2001 Mumbai Rs5,542, 6-8 October 2001 Mumbai/Ahmedabad Rs11,752, 11-13 October 2001 Delhi Rs15,953, 20-22 October 2001 Delhi Rs15,543, 10-12 November 2001 Mumbai Rs6,304, 15-16 December 2001 Mumbai Rs6,057, 22-25 December 2001 Mumbai/Delhi Rs17,211, 28-30 December 2001 Delhi/Mumbai Rs16,992, 20-23 January 2002 Delhi Rs16,742, 20-21 February 2002 Delhi Rs17,230, 3-5 March 2002 Mumbai Rs6,634, 7-8 March 2002 Delhi Rs16,075, 26-28 April 2002 Delhi Rs17,724, 3-4 May 2002 Delhi Rs17,055, 6-7 April 2002 Mumbai Rs6,530, 7-8 October 2002 Rs18,394, 17-19 October 2002 Delhi Rs2,947, 9 January 2002 Delhi, 8-23 November 2002 Mumbai/Delhi Rs17,942, 17 December 2002 Mumbai Rs20,548, 20-25 December 2002 Delhi/Ahmedabad, 14-24 January 2003 Canada/USA Rs2,90,000, 15-17 February 2003 Bangalore/Mumbai Rs11,924, 10-12 March 2003 Delhi Rs18,079, 28-29 March 2003 Delhi/Jaipur Rs19,935, 26-27 April 2003 Mumbai Rs7,455, 3-11 May 2003 Bangalore/Delhi/Mumbai Rs28,594, 10-11 June 2003, 18-21 June 2003 Mumbai Rs2,476, 29 June-1 July 2003 Delhi Rs22,215, 1-3 August 2003 Mumbai Rs7,802, 18-19 August 2003 Mumbai Rs7,455, 12-13.10.03, 29-31 October 2003 Delhi 3-5 November 2003 Bangalore Rs35,944, 7-10 December 2003 Mumbai/Jaipur/Delhi, 28-29 December 2003 Mumbai, 10-12 January 2004 Mumbai/Hyderabad, 14-15 January 2004 Mumbai Rs17,216, 20-22 January 2004 Delhi, 3-4 March 2004 Mumbai/Delhi Rs17,967, 29-30 May 2004 Mumbai Rs13,169, 31 May-1 June 2004, 24 June-4 July 2004 Mumbai Rs33,541, 24-25 July 2004 Delhi, 11-12 August 2004 Mumbai Rs14,271, 28-29 August 2004, 11-13 September 2004 Delhi/Mumbai Rs27,435, 17-18 September 2004 Mumbai, 11-12 October 2004 Mumbai Rs36,598, 26-29 October 2004 Delhi, 6-7 November 2004 Jaipur/Mumbai Rs32,299, 8-19 November 2004 Mumbai, 11-12 December 2004 Mumbai, 26-27 December 2004 Mumbai Rs29, 283.
Total Rs8,26,596

Ravi Naik
12-16 November 2000 Delhi Rs15,205, 1-3 December 2000 Delhi Rs5,522, 11-13 January 2001 Mumbai Rs5,752, 5-7 February 2001 Mumbai Rs5,572, 18-19 February 2001 Mumbai Rs11,014, 25-27 February 2001 Mumbai, 31 March-3 April 2001 Cochin Rs19,524, 18-24 April 2001 Mumbai, 22-24 May 2001 Mumbai Rs11,774, 25-27 June 2001 Mumbai, 11-13 September 2001 Mumbai Rs7,141, 4-5 October 2001 Mumbai Rs24,237, 20-22 October 2001 Delhi, 30 November-2 December 2001 Hyderabad Rs14, 135, 18-24 December 2001 Delhi Rs28,755, 3-5 January 2002, 10 January 2002 Mumbai, 20-23 January 2002 Delhi/Mumbai 21-23 March 2002 Mumbai Rs6,634, 3-4 May 2002 Delhi Rs17,014, 16-17 April 2002 Mumbai Rs26,996, 25-26 April 2002 Delhi, 21-23 June 2007 Delhi Rs38,302, 7-9 September 2007 Mumbai Rs13,627, 4-7 October 2007 Mumbai Rs29,038.
Total Rs2,80,422

Wilfred D'Souza Rs22,89,428 Feb 2005-Aug 2007
Dayanand Narvekar Rs14,94,884 Feb 2000-Mar 2007
Pratapsing Rane Rs14,57,354 Feb 2005-Apr 2006
Digambar Kamat Rs11,40,395 Jan 2000-Jan 2005
Manohar Parrikar Rs 8,26,596 Dec 2000-Dec 2004
Francisco Sardinha Rs 4,10,661 Jan 2000-Oct 2000
Ravi Naik Rs 2,80,422 Nov 2000-Sept 2007
Francisco D'Souza Rs 83,144
Somnath Zuwarkar Rs 65,377
Arecio D'Souza Rs 63,238
Subash Shirodkar Rs 43,814
Francisco Silveira Rs 39,117
Mauvin Godinho Rs 27,216
Venkatesh Desai Rs 9,550
Total Rs82,31,196
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A Merry Feast

Living to eat –7

Sticky Fingers
At a grand total of Rs1,34,16,340 for the period April 2004 to 2007 only, you would be spot on if you felt that our montris and MLAs are a part of the garbage problem. Imagine if all the hundreds of thousands of tourists and our 40 fortune hunters took a break away from Goa for a change, Goa would actually be garbage free. What a delightful thought. Seriously, nothing personal but one just has to go to any tourist destination to see that eating means garbage generated. Ask any foreign tourist coming to Goa for the last 10-15 years and he/she will tell you that what has changed in green and clean Goa is that now it is pockmarked with piles of colourful garbage everywhere. There is an expression that goes: Eating one out of home and hearth. I'm beginning to learn what that means.

Food Finale
Finally, I can draw the curtains on an extravaganza all of us would want to forget. While Subhash Shirodkar spent Rs1,07,682 on June 21, 2006 (see his spend sheet below) on a dinner for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice Empowerment, Rane spent Rs55,615 on June 22 and the Chief Secretary JP Singh Rs 52,594 on June 22. Total: Rs2,15,891

Luizinho Faleiro
13.01.06 dinner for Sikkim minister Cidade Rs22,913.
19.01.06 lunch for delegates, Boards of Secondary Education Alisha Restaurant Rs41,250.
23.03.06 lunch for MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs18,255.
30.03.06 dinner for National Board of Accredition Noah's Ark Rs29,371.
29.05.06 dinner for 12 Noah's Ark Rs15,775.
18.07.06 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs Ritz Classic Rs12,800.
24.01.07 lunch for MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs26,704.
18.09.05 dinner for VIPs & visiting doctors O' Coqueiro Rs10,500.
11.11.05 dinner for select journalists O' Coqueiro Rs27,000.
22.03.06 lunch for MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs18,645.
20.01.06 dinner for VIPs Goa Marriott Rs15,435.
18.01.06 dinner for MCI inspector, others Goa Marriott Rs31,252.
Total Rs2,69,900

Micky Pacheco
30.08.05 official lunch Delhi Darbar Rs20,531.
10.12.05 dinner for international seminar Santa Monica & Shetye Caterers/Circuit House Rs.66,600+16,500.
21.07.06 lunch for ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs32,553.
26.07.06 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs21,332.
06.08.07 lunch for Praful Patel Goa Marriot Rs79,910.
Total Rs2,37,426

Subhash Shirodkar
10.01.06 dinner for Ramdas Futane, writer, & others Delhi Darbar Rs5,063.
11.04.06 dinner for Mani Shankar Aiyar no details Rs1,08,053+4,871 gift.
12.04.06 lunch for Mani Shankar Aiyar Goa Marriott Rs12,757.
27.04.06 dinner for Dr. Gen, Ministry of Employment & Trng. Nova Goa Rs14,139.
29.05.06 dinner Justice Ranganath Misra Goa Marriott Rs25,057.
21.06.06 dinner for Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice Empowerment Noah's Ark –Rs1,07,682.
20.07.06 lunch for ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs32,552.
13.07.06 dinner for 10 Rajshahi Rs3,893.
25.01.07 lunch for Chairman, VC, National Commission for ST Cidade de Goa Rs28,527.
13.04.07 dinner for member, Planning Commission Cidade Rs26,613.
Total Rs3,69,207

Atanasio Monserrate
24.03.06 lunch for minister and MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs14,300.
28.04.06 lunch for TCPB O 'Coqueiro Rs17,010.
Total Rs31,310

Joaquim Alemao
05.07.06 lunch for select journalists Mandovi Rs22,219
14.07.06 lunch for CM, Dy CM, ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs17,001
05.10.06 dinner for Western Region Conference on Child Labour Noah's Ark Rs86,471
03.02.07 dinner for Parliamentary Committee Goa Marriott Rs68,179
09.03.07 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs30,517
06.07.07 lunch for CCP Mayor, commissioner, & chairperson, chief officers O 'Coqueiro Rs55,968
30.09.07 lunch for chairman, chief officers, councillors of muncipalities O 'Coqueiro Rs46,323
20.12.07 lunch for Urban Development Ministry Goa Marriott Rs55,350
Total Rs,3,82,028

Suresh Amonkar
02.04.04 dinner for MCI inspectors Cidade Rs29,238
08.02.04 dinner silver jubilee Forensic Medicon Mandovi Rs17,500
10.08.04 dinner for Human Reproduction Research Centre meet Nova Goa Rs18,675
29.02.04 dinner for himself Nova Goa Rs4,870
11.09.04 dinner for World Education of Societies of Anaesthesiology Mandovi Rs13,750
06.03.07 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs23,846
Total Rs1,07,879

Pandurang Madkaikar

13.07.06 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs17,319

Ravi Naik
24.07.07 lunch for senior police officers NH 17 Rs42,500
03.12.07 diner for Apex Co-operation Federation conference Goa Mariott Rs78,626
11.01.08 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs Kebab Corner Rs43,250
Total Rs1,64,376

Ramkrishna Dhavlikar
16.02.06 lunch for ruling MLAs O' Coqueiro Rs26,175
19.07.06 lunch for CM, Dy. CM, ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs32,383
30.01.07 dinner for IBIC delegation Noah's Ark Rs61,102
Total Rs1,19,660

Jose Philip D'Souza
04.10.07 lunch for Ratnakar Narayan, executive president, MSPB, Mumbai Goa Mariott Rs16,943
10.12.07 dinner for NIDM, Delhi delegates Goa Mariott Rs55,350
19.12.07 lunch for CM, officers, invitees La Paz Rs41,222
Total Rs1,13,515

Filipe Neri Rodrigues

lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs23,820

Dayanand Mandrekar
08.02.04 dinner for ICAR Nova Goa Rs12,480

The GOVERNMENT'S FOODBILL (AND GROWING) SO FAR:
Digambar Kamat Rs 36,47,744
Pratapsing Rane Rs 39,72,941
Manohar Parrikar Rs 12,05,515
Vishwajit Rane Rs 84,788
Alexio Sequeira Rs 1,03,590
Luizinho Faleiro Rs 2,69,900
Micky Pacheco Rs 2,37,426
Subhash Shirodkar Rs 3,69,207
Atanasio Monserrate Rs 31,310
Joaquim Alemao Rs. 3,82,028
Suresh Amonkar Rs 1,07,879
Pandurang Madkaikar 17,319
Ravi Naik Rs 1,64,376
Ramkrishna Dhavlikar 1,19,660
Jose Philip D'Souza Rs 1,13,515
Filipe Neri Rodrigues 23,820
Dayanand Mandrekar 12,480
J P Singh, IAS Rs 16,61,290
DS Negi, IAS Rs 4,25,683
Vijay Madan, IAS Rs 58,223
Kiran Dhingra, IAS Rs 1,54,375
JK Dadoo Rs 2,53,271
Total Rs1,34,16,340

Period researched is April 2004 to 2007.
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They Fly and How

Around The World In 365 Days –4

Till death do us part
Do you not wish each time you read this column that Delhi was Belgaum and Mumbai was Anmod? That way Goa would have saved crores of your precious tax money because it would cost that much less to fly our new rulers, if Delhi and Mumbai were just around the corner. Perhaps it would have been even better if Goa were Greater NOIDA (a wee bit outside Delhi) instead, and therefore your politicians would simply have to drive the short distance to Delhi. But then, Mumbai would still be a great distance away. Moral of the lesson: it is going to be a lose, lose situation, always. They just cannot resist the temptation to fly.

Digambar Kamat
13-15.01.2000 Delhi Rs18,130, 23-29.02.00 Delhi Rs20,987, 03-04.03.00, 24-25.04.00 Mumbai Rs5,262, 01-03.05.00 Mumbai Rs23,659, 21-25.06.00 Delhi/Jaipur/Mumbai Rs5262, 01-10.08.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs16,965, 25-29.08.00 Nagpur/Mumbai Rs11,955, 12-16.11.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs15,205, 30.09-10.10.00 Delhi Rs20,210, 23-24.12.00 Mumbai Rs5262, 07-08.02.01, 02-04.03.01, 16-17.02.01 Mumbai/Delhi Rs22,876, 02-04.03.01, 11-13.05.01 Mumbai Rs5672, 03-08.09.01 Delhi/Lucknow Rs22,492, 12-13.10.01 Mumbai Rs5642, 20-22.10.01 Delhi Rs31,779, 31.10-02.11.01, 12-13.12.01 Rs19,980, 24-25.12.01 Mumbai, 05-06.01.02 Rs6,022, 20-22.01.02 Delhi Rs16,105, 20-22.03.02 Delhi Rs17,362, 26-28.04.02 Delhi Rs17,850, 06-09.09.02 Mumbai Rs5,822, 29.06-04.07.02 Mumbai/Delhi Rs17,912, 21-28.10.02 Mumbai, 22-24.11.02 Bangalore Rs28,364, 13-15.12.02 Hyderabad, 21-23.01.03 Delhi, 02-05.02.03 Mumbai Calcutta/Mumbai Rs33,518, 06-07.01.03 Mumbai, 12-16.01.03 Mumbai Rs25,772 Delhi Rs25,772, 17-21.02.03 Delhi Rs17,886, 06-08.03.03 Mumbai Rs24,575, 11-13.03.03 Delhi/Mumbai, 15-17.06.03 Delhi Rs20,147, 24-25.09.03 Mumbai Rs7,542, 28.10-02.11.03 Delhi Rs21,455, 04-05.12.03 Delhi/Mumbai Rs20,625, 14-16.01.04 Mumbai Rs13,265, 31.01-01.02.04, 23-24.02.04, 12-14.03.04 Delhi/Bangalore/Mumbai Rs54,097, 15-16.03.04 Cochin, 24-26.03.04, 01-07.04.04 Delhi Rs15,762, 09-10.07.04 Delhi,03-09.08.04 Mumbai Rs25,520, 23-28.08.04 Delhi, 09-13.09.04 Delhi Rs19,700, 07-09.10.04 Delhi, 26-28.10.04 Delhi Rs56,118, 06-08.11.04 Mumbai, 19-20.11.04 Mumbai, 11-12.11.04 Delhi/Mumbai Rs29,701, 29.12.04 Mumbai, 21-22.01.05 Delhi, 30-31.01.05 Rs29,701. Total 11,40,395.

Flight paths
Subash Shirodkar flying to Pune thrice including a sojourn to Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad in February, May, June, September and October of 2000 cost you Rs43,814. Somnath Zuwarkar's flights cost you Rs65,377, Mauvin Godinho flying in March and August of 2000 cost you Rs27,216. Arecio D'Souza's flying cost Rs63,238, while Francisco D'Souza cost you Rs83,144, Venkatesh Desai Rs9,550 and Francisco Silveira Rs39,117.

They did not cross the much sought after rupees one lakh and above category and therefore do not deserve to be in the group that entitles them to have their flight destination details mentioned here for posterity. Pardon me, but I thought Goa's Flying Circus deserves to be classified like banks classify credit card holders depending on their bank balances into ordinary, Gold and Platinum. Mauvin Godinho, as time will tell you sooner or later and because of his being born again, could however easily move into this lofty (pun intended) category.

Dayanand Narvekar Rs14,94,884 Feb 2000-Mar 2007
Francisco Sardinha Rs 4,10,661 Jan 2000-Oct 2000
Pratapsing Rane Rs14,57,354 Feb 2005-Apr 2006
Wilfred D'Souza Rs22,89,428 Feb 2005-Aug 2007
Digambar Kamat Rs11,40,395 Jan 2000-Jan 2005
Subash Shirodkar Rs 43,814
Somnath Zuwarkar Rs 65,377
Mauvin Godinho Rs 27,216
Arecio D'Souza Rs 63,238
Francisco D'Souza Rs 83,144
Venkatesh Desai Rs 9,550
Francisco Silveira Rs 39,117

Total Rs71,24,178

Classless society?
First you had the Brahmins and the rest of us, fisherfolk, toddy tappers, bahujan samaj, gawdas (the way it was spelt even differed!) Then suddenly some of us (get me?) got categorized as scheduled tribes, whatever. Then, apart from some politicians still jostling to be the leader of the scheduled tirbes, we went from to rich and poor. Okay, the Congress calls us (poor) aam aadmi and derivates off that. Keep that bit out of this discussion. Times have changed, it's no longer the caste factor. Today's class society are those who managed to retain their dark or the darkest of dark glass car panes which is banned in many metros, and so you have the janta who cannot call their fav MLA which is why they got their expensive films peeled off rudely unlike those for whom an MLA is just a mobile call away. And ofcourse what happens in Ponda, Quepem, Cancona, does not matter, what the hell, after all we are Panjim-centric, aren't we? Then you have non-Goans who can build on sand dunes even, like Baga's Calypso, who did his thingamajig on the beach, so close to the sea, you could throw stones in to it even if you were arthritic or had a hip replacement. If you have been reading this column in the past, there are many, many more cases like this. Candolim's Sunny Side Up written about here being just one. And, you have Goans like the hardworking fishermen in Colva who had his little lane rubbed off the face of this earth and the Goan whose hotel on the river Sal was so badly damaged by bulldozers some time ago, he still can't get his hotel going.

And sussegad non-Goans too
Reliance for example. A fault complaint to Reliance, if you can get them on your other working phone, is routed to Pune, which then calls up Goa and deputes a technician to your home if required. Time needed: at least three days. I got a Plug 2 Surf USB modem in March. It lies with me sealed and unused, but I have been billed regularly. Tata indicom apparently outsourced its business to a Blue Square Marketing whom it takes weeks to call and I am yet to hear a Goan voice on the other end. Meanwhile, I am still waiting to be hooked up. I call up the Goa Marriott. Could I get details of your diner's card membership? The Marriott that insisted on reading out its longwinding scheme, has a week later not emailed me the details, which I prefer to leisurely evaluate on my monitor and not from a distant voice that rattled out a host of items like a Kannadiga waiter in a Kamat restaurant wordily assailing you with the menu. Really, quit calling us sussegad.

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Living to eat - 6

Party time

Wilfred D'Souza
31.08.05 lunch for ruling MLAs Delhi Darbar Rs11,813.
19.09.05 lunch for select journalists O' Coqueiro Rs30,990.
07.10.05 dinner for an ambassador (unnamed) Cidade de Goa Rs98,332.
09.12.05 dinner for Chinese delegates Cidade de Goa Rs70,726.
14.02.06 dinner for ruling MLAs O' Coqueiro Rs20,910.
27.04.06 dinner for 20 O 'Coqueiro Rs13,195.
17.07.06 lunch for CM, ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs14,970
24.07.06 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs26,396.
01.11.06 dinner for MD of Soiby Satellite Pvt. Ltd O 'Coqueiro Rs3,310.
24.01.07 lunch for MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs26,380 (On the 23rd and 24th Rane and Luizinho Faleiro spent Rs7,200 and Rs26,704 entertaining MLAs.)
02.03.07 dinner for 15 O 'Coqueiro Rs12,920.
07.03.07 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro –Rs31,622.
25.03.07 dinner for seven O 'Coqueiro Rs6,768.
Cost of feeding MLAs you unfairly voted to power Rs1,32,091. Power being the sine qua non here. Unfairly? For the opposition MLAs that is, because your ministers in power believe in feeding only the ruling MLAs (read: as in their own kind.)

Dayanand Narvekar
12.02.05 lunch for VIPs Hotel Majestic Rs10,500.
30.07.05 lunch for sarpanches, VIPs Green Park Rs10,500.
31.07.05 dinner for select journalists Mouli Caterers Rs9,000.
17.08.05 dinner for Dr KK Unni, Dr Frank Bertoni Goa Mariott Rs31,087.
27.08.05 dinner for doctors Green Park Rs10,500.
18.09.05 dinner for VIPs & visiting doctors O' Coqueiro Rs10,500.
11.11.05 dinner for select journalists O' Coqueiro Rs27,000.
17.12.05 dinner for Justice KG Balkrishna, other HC judges O'Coqueiro Rs25,500.
22.03.06 lunch for MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs18,645.
20.01.06 dinner for VIPs Goa Mariott Rs15,435.
18.01.06 dinner for MCI inspector, others Goa Mariott Rs31,252.
22.02.06 dinner for sarpanchas Green Park Rs10,500.
10.02.06 dinner for MLA, sarpanchas, panchas ZP members, others Green Park Rs35,000.
12.07.06 lunch for ruling ministers, MLAs O 'Coqueiro Rs16,360.
28.07.06 lunch for 35 O 'Coqueiro Rs23,796.
22.09.06 dinner for select journalists O 'Coqueiro Rs10,500.
13.12.06 dinner for visiting dignitaries O 'Coqueiro Rs10,500.
11.01.07 dinner for Parliamentary Standing Committee Noah's Ark Rs1,21.052.
17.02.07 dinner for participants at Goa IT Goa Mariott Rs2,03,660.
28.03.07 dinner for sarpanchas, panchas Green Park Rs10,500.
14.04.07 dinner for sarpanchas, panchas O 'Coqueiro Rs22,905.
04.10.07 dinner for RBI officer Mumbai International Centre bill awaited.
15.12.07 dinner for sarpanchas, panchas Sirsat Caterer Rs16,200.

July 2006

Like 9/11, July will be a month to remember for the devastating effect on your tax rupees. Only there were no terrorists involved, it was your friendly neighbourhood montri who was involved. The dotor (whose flights to Delhi etc and abroad I also researched cost Rs22,89,428 from Feb 2005-Aug 2007) and Narvekar (flight cost: Feb 2000-Mar 2007 Rs14,94,884) spent a total of Rs57,726 entertaining the ruling MLAs on July 12, 17 and 24. On July 25 Digambar Kamat (flight cost: Jan 2000-Jan 2005 Rs11,40,395) threw a Rs28,814 lunch for his ministers and MLAs at O 'Coqueiro. On July 31 Pratapsing Rane (flight cost:Feb 2005-Apr 2006 Rs14,57,354) hoisted a Rs16,200 lunch for ministers and MLAs at his fav Sher-e-Punjab. Apparently they were so eager to rush back to work, so they couldn't find a Goan food restaurant. These are expenses of ministers I have covered so far. There's more on July and it's enough to constipate you. But for now remember that Rs1,02,740 was spent gorging in July of that year. Also, don't you wish some of these restaurants especially the many at the Cidade Goa, or speciality restaurants like O' Coqueiro and Sher-e-Punjab were government owned, just so that some of the profit pennies filter back to you? In the business pages they call it dividends. Not happening!

Mea Culpa

My apologies, I should have pointed this out last week, but all this gorging on or off my tax money slowed down the brain functions to the extent I forgot to mention this bit of appetizing fact. Dadoo's (see table below) dinosaur dinning habits made him spend Rs1,20,850 on a banquet bash for Kiran Dhingra, an upright chief secretary, perhaps the only one Goa ever had and known for her austerity (read as: refused to sanction corruption) and was therefore transferred out by Pratapsing Rane. I find that curious because Dhingra, who definitely was not a foodie, spent a bit more than what was spent on that one dinner during her entire Goa stint as you can see from the facts below. My point if you haven't cottoned on yet, is the entire janta must be attending all these al fresco freebies. Only Narvekar, which is why Kamat made him finance minister, cared to entertain your lowly sarpanch and panch spending Rs1,05,605.

By the way, a panch who swears by socialism and to do social work (till you vote for him/her that is) gets a monthly stipend of Rs1,000 while a sarpanch gets paid Rs2,000 which you will understand is why they sanctioned all those monstrosities built by Delhities and Mumbaites in your village. In fact, Narvekar got really fiscal putting, as you can see from his spend sheet, a cap of Rs10,500 on many of his eat outs. But his love for doctors, dunno about that despite all the rumours, if you know what I mean.

The government's food bill (and growing) so far:
Digambar Kamat Rs 36,47,744
Pratapsing Rane Rs 39,72,941
Manohar Parrikar Rs 12,05,515
Vishwajit Rane Rs 84,788
Alexio Sequeira Rs 1,03,590
J P Singh, IAS Rs 16,61,290
DS Negi, IAS Rs 4,25,683
Vijay Madan, IAS Rs 58,223
Kiran Dhingra, IAS Rs 1,54,375
JK Dadoo Rs 2,53,271

Total Rs1,15,67,420
Period researched is April 2004 to 2007.

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More on the Goa Flying circus

Around The World In 365 Days –3
They might have flown to Dilli more times than you went to the Kesarval spring for that special bath or to Baga for that matter on picnic in a life time of trying to do so amid your busy schedules and trying to make two ends meet. Certainly there is ample evidence of that. Some politicians might have achieved that in a year of flying to the capital on missions of only that they are looking for mercy themselves. They certainly flew so fast and furiously as to be on name knowing terms with most airline crews!

Pratapsing Rane
5-6.02.05 Delhi Rs30,552, 23-25.02.05 Mumbai Rs11,548, 7-9.06.05 Delhi/Mumbai Rs37,585, 24.06.05 Delhi Rs40,000, 26.06-01.07.05 Delhi/Mumbai Rs41,355, 24-27.07.05 Delhi/Mumbai Rs40,277, 31.07-03.08.05 Bangalore/Delhi/Mumbai Rs47,812, 09-11.09.07 Delhi Rs40,537, 24-25.09.05 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs38,230, 06-10.10.05 Chandigarh/Delhi Rs42,640, 7-8.11.05 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs 39,407, 12.12.05 Mumbai Rs58,579, 8-10.12.05 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai & 27-29.12.05 Pune/Mumbai Rs23,909, 20-25.01.06 Hyderabad Rs42,446, 8-9.02.06 Mumbai & 24-25.02.06 Delhi/Mumbai Rs33,412, 10-12.03.06 Delhi/Mumbai Rs44,495, 16-18.04.06 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs39,626, 03.04.06 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs35,217, 7-8.04.06 Mumbai Rs14,582, 26-27.04.06 Pune/Mumbai Rs23,909, 3-5.05.06 Hyderabad/Mumbai Rs35,922, 25-27.05.06 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs45,632, 27-28.06.06 Mumbai Rs14,992, 4-6.07.06 Mumbai Rs42,085, 6-7.08.06 Mumbai Rs15,314, 11-13.08.06 Delhi/Mumbai Rs46,139, 31.08-02.09.06 Delhi/Mumbai Rs47,037, 22-25.09.06 Mumbai/Delhi Rs47,487, 27-29.09.06 Mumbai/Vadodara Rs31,387, 17-18.10.06 Mumbai Rs15,727, 3-5.11.06 Mumbai/Delhi Rs32,027, 7-10.12.06 Delhi/Mumbai Rs63,609, 13-14.12.06 Mumbai & 21-23.12.06 Bangalore/Cochin/Bangalore/Mumbai Rs46,690, 4-5.01.06 Mumbai Rs36,194, 12-14.03.06 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs67,058, 1-2/03/06 Bangalore & 21-31.03.06 Mumbai/Delhi Rs48,224, 24-26.04.06 Mumbai/Delhi/Mumbai Rs47,962, 30-31.03.07 Delhi/Mumbai Rs47,750. Total Rs14,57,354.

Wilfred D'Souza
24-26.02.05 Delhi/Mumbau Rs32,529, 26-29.06.05 Delhi/Mumbai Rs24,446, 9-12.06.05 Surat/Mumbai Rs8,112, 03.07.05 Delhi/Mumbai Rs38,427, 29.09-01.10.05 Delhi Rs38,058, 26-29.10.05 Rs38,067, 06-10.03.06 Berlin Rs2,06,800, 23-25.02.06 Delhi Rs30,354, 14-27.06.06 China Rs2,55,000, 19-20.05.06 Mumbai Rs13,972, 11-13.05.06 Delhi Rs40,461, 17-18.05.06 Delhi Rs40,462, 11-22.11.06 London Rs1,40,749, 16-24 Shanghai/Hongkong Rs1,35,051, 01-03.08.06 Delhi Rs31,465, 19-25.09.06 Moscow/St. Petersburg Rs1,05,000, 4-6.09.06 Delhi Rs31,764, 01-06.05.06 Dubai Rs1,38,561, 02-09.12.06 Delhi Rs39,660, 06-09.01.07 Delhi Rs44,120, 09-10.03.07 Delhi Rs18,306, 14-23.06.06 Sydney, Australia Rs3,55,000, 17-27.09.06 Moscow/StPetersburg Rs1,17,831, 04-14.11.06 London Rs2,55,609, 01.02.07 Mumbai Rs15,855, 25-26.04.07 Delhi Rs39,250, 03-04.05.07 Delhi Rs34,004, 01-02.08.07 Delhi Rs10,930, 08-10.08.07 Mumbai Rs9,585. Total Rs22,89,428. The dotor as you can see has a penchant for flying abroad having spent Rs17,09,601 of your tax bucks doing precisely that and might even have picked up a bit of Russian flying in and out of Russia. Nyet?

That makes it a grand total (see below) of Rs56,52,327 culled from records I have and does not include the clever ruse MLA's use now, of getting government corporations, like the Goa Tourism Development Corporation which is developing itself more into a private flying club than it is developing tourism, to foot their travel and living bills. Expect the total to fly fast and furious.
Dayanand Narvekar Rs14,94,884
Francisco Sardinha Rs 4,10,661
Pratapsing Rane Rs14,57,354
Wilfred D'Souza Rs22,89,428
Total Rs56,52,327

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Living to eat - 5

Make a meal of it

Imagine 40 more fortune-hunters

Ram Niwas Mirdha, chairman of the National Akademi of Music, Dance and Drama was singing a different tune. Or, was he dancing to one? Imagine increasing the current strength of 40 MLAs to 80 fortune-hunters to avoid the constant toppling games? How will another 40 constituencies be carved out? The only thing I can think of is reclaiming land from the sea with all the iron ore rejects that are clogging up the hinterland, but that might be too expensive. Already, from two expenses totaling Rs75,891 mentioned below, good money was apparently spent dining the delimitation commission and this is only one element of what could be a whopping expenditure. So, which is worse, creating 40 more corporations for them to head, clothing, feeding and flying around another bunch of spendthrifts or, paying for reclaiming 40 more constituencies from the sea? Be my guest and guess.

Ladder 49

On June 12 a friend called up saying a fallen mango tree was blocking the access road to the Ribandar ferry from the Divar side. Could I call up the fire station? It was a few minutes past seven in the morning. I called up Ashok Menon, the station director's residence, whom I've never met before. His wife answered and promptly gave the phone to him. Most police officer's I know would have been busy in the loo or too grumpy in the morning to come on the line. He said call 101, the control room, it promptly told me to call a DG Pednekar at the Old Goa Station. Unfortunately through some misunderstanding in our communication a fire tender was dispatched to Ribandar instead when it was meant to cross the river at Ribandar to Divar. Mind you all this took just 20 mins or so till I could rectify the situation and the firemen crossed over eager to do their job. So eager, they kept frantically calling me trying to find the exact location of the tree. Unfortunately, by then my friend had disconnected his mobile and I spent the next 20 minutes embarrassed by the quick fire response of the officer, a man called Michael Braganza and another unnamed man. Embarrassed because none of the people I called in Divar and particularly in my area Malar had any information or were reluctant to give me as I kept requesting each, a phone number close to where the tree had fallen. Embarrassed because the firemen kept pleading with me to hurry so they could respond to their next call, which evidently were piling up. An Englishman Jan Bostok I called eventually, yes, those of the tribe who are the flavour of the month for venting our anger upon, asked (1) his driver to go looking around for the fallen tree (2) drove around in his second vehicle looking for the tree in a different direction. Me, I was still calling up one islander after another, till another good friend Corina's Joe Vaz gave me the phone number of Mario Pinto, a panch and former sarpanch of the Divar panchayat. Mario fortuitously knew where the tree had fallen and I asked him to relay the location to Braganza. Moral of the lesson: Divar continues to be comatose, but don't blame the Goa Fire and Emergency services for it. Their rapid reaction to a call for help was an embarrassment and I don't even know what Braganza looks like.


DS Negi, Chief Secretary
04.05.04 dinner for secy, Ministry of Labour, GOI Goa Marriott Rs17,720.
14.05.04 dinner for central observers, senior officers Mandovi Rs32,831.
01.06.04 dinner for RC Sinha, advisor to Goa government Cidade Rs16,418.
14.06.04 lunch for RBI officials Nova Goa Rs1,800.
18.06.04 dinner for ex-DGP Seva Dass and others Mandovi Rs14,458.
05.07.04 dinner for Rajeev Verma, IAS Goa Marriott Rs21,213 + gifts Rs845.
23.08.04 dinner for Rajya Sainik Board Mandovi Rs5,802.
01.09.04 dinner for secy, I&B, GOI Fort Aguada –no details.
10.06.04 dinner for dignitaries Cidade de Goa Rs24,674.
12.09.04 dinner for ITTB review meeting Goa Marriott Rs26,510.
14.09.04 dinner Justice Kuldip Singh, BB Tandon, Election Commission Cidade Rs20,774.
15.09.04 lunch for Japanese delegation, water supply and sanitation Cidade Rs20,673.
21.09.04 dinner for Murdhup Vyas, addl collectior, Meena Chowdhury, SDPO Cidade Rs16,471+Rs650 gifts.
29.08.04 dinner for KG Mathew, secy, Karnataka Cidade Rs10,169.
17.11.04 dinner for KP Singh, addl. secy. MHA Goa Marriott Rs17,350.
11.12.04 dinner for Krishnamurthy, secy, GA Fort Aguada Rs24,393.
13.12.04 dinner for delimitation committee Goa Marriott Rs43,526.
28.11.04 farewell dinner for DGP Amol Kanth Cidade Rs20,114.
20.12.04 farewell dinner for BS Bhalla Fort Aguada Rs21,442.
01.01.05 dinner for Arunachal Pradesh CS Goa Marriott Rs26,310.
02.01.05 dinner for Ashok Misra, IIT, Mumbai Goa Marriott Rs22,060.
14.01.05 dinner for GN Pegu, IAS Goa Marriott Rs10,615.
05.01.05 farewell dinner for LS Shetty Nova Goa Rs8,865.

Vijay Madan, as acting CS
20.02.05 dinner for delimitation commission Goa Marriott Rs32,365.
12.02.05 farewell dinner for DS Negi Delhi Darbar Rs4,200.
28.04.05 farewell dinner for Nandini Paliwal, IAS Goa Marriott Rs21,658.

Kiran Dhingra, Chief Secretary
20.05.05 farewell lunch for Vijay Madan, DC Goa Marriott Rs10,896.
21.05.05 dinner for N. Gopalswami, election commission Goa Marriott Rs20,379.
28.05.05 dinner for Tsunami affected footballers of Andaman & Nicobar Mandovi Rs28,370.
15.07.05 farewell dinner for Jayashree Raghuraman, revenue secretary Foodland Rs11,925.
03.10.05 dinner labour secy, GOI Goa Marriott Rs25,215.
09.12.05 farewell dinner for Debashree Mukherjee Delhi Darbar Rs28,451.
19.10.05 dinner for Rajya Sainik Board Mandovi Rs3,448.
23.12.05 dinner GOI Secretary Goa Marriott Rs25,691.

JK Dadoo, as acting CS, but he was the Development Commissioner then
23.11.05 dinner for chairperson, Coconut Development Board Mandovi Rs10,659.
13.01.05 dinner for Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy officer Rajshahi Rs25,535.
08.08.05 dinner for chairman, Coconut Development Board Delhi Darbar Rs7,697.
30.12.05 dinner for IAS trainees FABR Rs35,100.
19.01.06 lunch for GOI Secretary Goa Mariott Rs8,961.
25.01.06 lunch for new CS and 10 Secretaries Delhi Darbar Rs8,899.
23.01.06 dinner for GOI secy, Mrs CT Misra Majestic Rs10,410.
17.09.05 lunch for PMA Huken, secy, GOI Cidade Rs5,243.
22.01.06 farewell dinner for Kiran Dingra Raj Holiday Village Rs1,20,850
28.05.06 dinner for National Commission of Religious and Linguistic Minorities Rajshahi Rs19.917.

Israel's turn
Yaakov Engel and Hezi Hermoni have purchased land to build three residential complexes in Goa through Engel's privately held real estate developer EngelInvest Group. Cost: $500 million. Apartments: 2,030. Engel Invest expects to make a $1 billion profit. EngelInvest's CEO for global operations is Alon Avdani. The projects: a 1,600-apartment complex in Cortalim overlooking the Zuari, a 160-unit complex in Panjim and a 270-apartment complex in Dona Paula. These apartments will reportedly sell at $5,000 per sq mt. EngelInvest operates in India through local holding company Venosa, which it jointly owns with Hermoni, who has been active in India for 15 years. EngelInvest owns 75 per cent and Hermoni 22 per cent. The CEO of Venosa is Ronen Hermoni.

Tailpiece
Did you get this SMS: "Finally it has happened! Beer is now cheaper than petrol! Now only drink, don't drive."

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Goa's flying circus is back

Around The World In 365 Days -2
If you remember this column of March 10, 2008 titled 'Around The World In 365 days' you would recall that Dayanand Narvekar spent Rs14,94,884 of your precious tax money flying to Mumbai and Dilli. That was from February 2, 2000 to March 3, 2007, the time frame I researched. Wobbly with trying to keep up with Goa's Flying Circus, I took a vacation on terra firma, if you please. I wrote then that in 2007 Narvekar flew 20 times, that's 20 flights in 12 months. Catch up now with Francisco Sardinha who logged on recently with his gaffe per month. Remember he said bullfights are for the aam aadmi. Now, Casinos are only for rich tourists because they don't come to Goa to sleep, he says. Sardinha's howlers fly as fast as his reasons to be airborne. Fasten your seat belts for take off.

Francisco Sardinha
23-24.01.00 Mumbai Rs7,552; 02-03.04.00 Delhi Rs22,020; 01-03.05.00 Mumbai Rs8,392; 24-28.04.00 Kathmandu Rs25,672; 24-28.02.00 Delhi via Mumbai Rs22,540; 18-22.05.00 Delhi/Mumbai & 20-23.06.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs68,184; 14-16.07.00 Delhi/Mumbai Rs22,317; 21-22.08.00 Delhi/Mumbai, 26-27.08.00 Cochin, 28.08.00 Delhi Rs70,194; 30.8-07.09.00 Mumbai, 26-28.09.00 Delhi Rs21,575; 11-23.10.00 Sydney/Singapore Rs1,42,215. Total Rs4,10,661.

And to think that 21 years after achieving statehood there are some who feel it has given Goa an identity, a sense of dignity. Get a life please! Our politicians and IAS officers need to run to Delhi for every tidbit reason. Including for reasons of the former's proclivity for coup d'etat that requires them to scurry to Dilli often. Where's the dignity and freedom?

Administration of justice!
By a twist of fate, that is the title of the major accounting head under which these astronomical fees were paid to advocate general Subodh Kantak. As for Kantak's luck with his official earnings, what can I say? The man has the Midas touch. Representing a benevolent government Kantak I showed you last week earned Rs1,62,48,250 appearing in court between February 2005 and June 2007. There's plenty more. Kantak was paid Rs19,000 and Rs10,25,000 in January 2006. In August that year he was paid Rs19,000 and Rs7,45,000. In July Rs19,000 and Rs8,50,000. In June Rs Rs19,000 and Rs6,85,000. In May Rs19,000 and Rs2,20,000. In April Rs19,000 and Rs7,20,000. In March Rs19,000 and Rs8,55,000. In February Rs19,000 and Rs6,40,000. In December 2005 he was paid Rs19,000 and Rs5,90,000. In November Rs19,000 and Rs3,65,000. In October Rs19,000 and Rs3,75,000. In September Rs19,000 and Rs7,05,000. In August Rs19,000 and Rs7,70,000. In July 19,000 and Rs5,40,000. In June Rs9,500 and Rs1,05,000. Total Rs 94,65,500. The only other beneficiary was the union government as TDS at 7 per cent was deducted from these sums.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (& Women)

One of the first actions Digambar Kamat took after assuming office (he hadn't by then even appointed his permanent staff) was to call up the chief secretary and ask him to settle Kantak's bills. Kamat barely had time to perform other tasks because the week or so prior were occupied firefighting in Delhi. Outside his cabin were Srinivas Dempo, Ramakant Khalap and Pandurang Madkaikar, with their own agendas. I was inside Kamat's anteroom along with another outstation journalist interviewing him. That's how I know.

According to Aires Rodrigues whom the Goa University ought to confer an honorary doctorate for his research, the current fees for AG's was approved by the Pratapsingh Rane cabinet on September 21, 2006, and quickly notified on September 28 backdating the revised fees from April 1, 2005 April Fools day.

Rodrigues says Kantak appeared in the Bombay High Court on January 27, 2006 in the Saleli riots case bail applications of 102 accused and was paid 102 times Rs8000 i.e. Rs 8,16,000. Factualy, he made a common argument for the whole batch of bail applications and he should have claimed only Rs8000. In the PIL challenging the appointment of parliamentary secretaries Kantak charged Rs8000 twice over for the hearing on July 24, 2007.

While Kantak, not designated senior counsel, gets paid Rs8000 each time he appears in the HC, even if the case is adjourned; his Gujarat counterpart is paid Rs700 per day per case only if it is an effective hearing. The Maharashtra AG is paid Rs5000 per case up to a max of Rs7000 per day irrespective of the number of cases. The Karnataka AG gets Rs1000 for the first case and Rs250 each for subsequent cases to a max of Rs10,000 per day. Kantak was paid Rs2,55,97,012 between June 05-August 07. India's CJ gets a miserly Rs33,000 pm. The Prez gets Rs1,00,000 pm. Kantak, gets Rs8,000 every time he shows up.


When the going gets good, the good(s) get going. From 2005-2007 the additional government advocates attached to the office of the AG were paid as follows: Rakhi M. Chodankar Rs7,03,723, Leena Dharwadkar Rs6,30,671, Gauri Bhonsale 5,02,827, Manish Salkar Rs3,50.587. Total Rs21,87,808. If Kantak does the arguing in court, it means the AGA's don't. They only show up to seek adjournments or file affidavits or are a part of the AG's valet service. Perhaps there's a thin dividing line between showing up in court and arguing! Or, none at all! Finally, the government paid the AG's personal staff Rs16,96,251 as expenses between June 05-Feb 08. And this bit of miscellany, Rs37,736 towards his mobile phone bill for July 05-December 07 and Rs6,349 for calling from home between July 05-October 06.

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