PRESIDENT OF INDIA WASTING MONEY.

PRESIDENT PRATIBHA PATIL HAS BEEN TRAVELLING OVERBOARD



By Aires Rodrigues


Besides her foreign trips the President of India Pratibha Patil has been also recklessly traveling across the country too.

Last year President Patil was on a four day fiesta in Goa. It was first projected that it was a private visit but it was later revealed under the RTI Act that it was shown as an official one. Though President Patil was on a private holiday to Goa her visit was sought to be shown as official so that the expenditure could be charged to the State exchequer. If the trip was official the authorities should have explained the purpose of that four day trip.

A total expenditure of Rs 14, 18, 772 was incurred by the Goa Government on that President Pratibha Patil’s holiday in Goa. President Pratibha Patil was accompanied on that trip to Goa by her husband Dr. Devisingh Shekhawat, her daughter Jyoti Rathore, grand daughter Vedika Rathore and a total of 36 personal staff.

While President Pratibha Patil parked herself at Goa Raj Bhavan, a whopping Rs 3, 20,250 was spent on the lodging and boarding expenses at a five star resort Cidade de Goa for the members of the President’s entourage, and a further amount of Rs 1, 29,915 was spent on the lodging and boarding of some others in her troupe housed at the International centre at Dona Paula. A total of Rs 6, 23,188 was spent on vehicles hired by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation to be used for the President’s entourage. Rs 2, 01,220 was spent for the lunch on a day trip by the President Pratibha Patil at Taj Exotica in Benaulim. Another lunch hosted by the Chief Minister at Cidade de Goa in honour of President Patil cost the exchequer Rs 1, 19,999. While Rs 20,000 was spent on the boat ride, Para sailing and Jet Ski organized for President Patil at Benaulim beach, flowers presented to her cost the tax payer Rs 4,400

Such unnecessary trips and extravagant expenditure should stop. Besides being a very unjust burden on the State exchequer it is also an inconvenience to the public at large because of traffic jams caused by such visits. In a country where poverty is wide spread and the prevalence of child under nutrition is among the highest in the world, we cannot afford such wasteful expenditure. While Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister can be termed a political disaster, the 205 crores squandered on President Pratibha Patil’s foreign jaunts is a national disgrace.

OPPOSE DICTATOR PARRIKAR ON MOPA.

A month after his death during the condolence meeting at Lohia Maidan, Margao, Alina Saldanha the wife of Mathanay Saldanha made a very important statement about her husband saying “the greatest tribute we can pay to him is to carry out the works and causes he led during his lifetime”.


The first step in keeping the legacy of Mathanay Saldanha alive will be the strong protest by Alina herself on the anti-Goan decision of Parrikar to construct Mopa Airport. Her husband was against this Airport. It will be a fitting tribute to the dead Mathanay if his dearest wife carries forward the work of him in opposing the construction of Mopa Airport.

Though she is still in a moaning period yet it is not too early for her to condemn Parrikar to pilot the anti Goan project of Mopa. Mathanay Saldanha during his life time worked for the fulfilment of people’s wishes especially those that are good for Goa and Goans. His unlimited support for the Ramponkars cause, Konkani cause, Statehood cause, Meta Strip and many others will remain in the history of Goa written in golden capital letters.

By the way, if he was alive today, would he oppose Parrika’s decision of going ahead with the construction of Mopa Airport? Looking at his track record I doubt very much. Mathanay Saldanha achieved all his achievements not when he was in the Legislative Assembly and in the Cabinet. When he was inducted into the Cabinet as a Minister, Mathanay Saldanha became a slave of Parrikar and BJP. If it was not so, he would not remain a silent spectator to the anti-Christian VCD circulation by Parrikar government; if it was not so, Mathanay Saldanha would not keep his silence when Parrikar cancelled the Good Friday holiday.

As a minister in BJP ministry under the skippership of anti-Christian Parrikar, Mathanay Saldanha failed and as one proof I can refer the example of River Princess Ship at Candolim. Immediately after taking Oath as Minister he assured the people of Candolim in particular and Goans in general that his top priority will be to clear this rot from Candolim Beach to avert environmental disaster. Finally what happened? Mathanay failed in his promise.

Mathanay Saldanha was good as a layman civilian to fight for the people’s causes but not as an official of government. As a minister he was more selfish to protect his chair just like any other corrupt and insincere minister. To oppose government from outside he was very good but as a minister himself from inside the government he was very bad. He was the Yes man of Parrikar for this reason inspite of being a Christian he kept his silence when anti-Christian legislations were introduced by Parrikar. Anti-Christian legislation means anti-Goan legislation because hurting the sentiments of any religious community in Goa means affecting the peace of Goa as a whole.

Will Alina succeed where her husband would likely sleep accepting Parrikar’s decision on Mopa? From her few statements and her body language and talking to her close friends during her academic career, I feel Alina will surely challenge Parrikar by publicly opposing Mopa Airport in tune with the wishes of Goa lover Goans.

Besides Alina, all the MLA’s who defeated Congress candidates and supporting Parrikar are duty bound to oppose Parrikar. They must not be afraid of BJP because BJP Manifesto does not show Mopa and because it was so people voted BJP. If Mopa was included in BJP manifesto many voters would not vote for BJP candidates and BJP backed candidates. And all the BJP and BJP backed MLA’s are elected by the people of their constituencies to fulfil the wishes of them and not of Parrikar. Parrikar cannot eat as we say in Konkani - “Aitea Folear”. Here voters are important and their wishes should carry priority. Come on voters from Calangute constituency, Navelim, Benaulim, Mapusa and other constituencies, speak out and speak out loudly the voice of your conscience. Do not support anti Goan voice of Parrikar.

The Navelim constituents who are known to be giant killers must ask Avertano his stand on this, so also constituents who voted Lobo in Calangute. People from Aldona constituency who shook Narvenkar must now shake Tiklo on this topic. So also elsewhere in Goa people must shake their BJP and BJP backed MLA’s. People’s voice must be heard and accepted and not of Parrikar’s. This is the meaning of Democracy for which our elders fought in Goa against Salazar’s dictatorial “dadagiri”.

Parrikar is a dictator following in the footsteps of Salazar. We don’t want Salazar anymore. We want democrat who listens to the voice of the people in Goa.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

Aquem-Baixo residents gather to save play ground

Margao Municipal Council Chairperson Mr. Arthur D'Silva along with ward councilor Avinash Shirodkar, Vice Chairperson, Pratima Countinho, Municipal Engineer and officials of SGPDA conducted a site inspection of construction site at Aquem-Baixo on a complaint filed by Navelim Civic & Consumer Forum & Navelchea Xetkarancho Ekvott.

During the site inspection the villagers and the farmers pointed out the various illegalities to which the builder, Mr. Kotari of Sapana Developers had no answers. The farmers complained that the builder has deliberately encroached into their fields by digging for the compound wall. NCCF pointed out that the builder has not done the demarcation of the property as required under the law hence the encroachment.
Adjacent residents pointed out that their traditional accesses will be blocked if the construction is allowed to come up. The residents produced a copy of an objection filed by at least 74 persons objecting to the sale of the property as it was being used by them as a village playground. The builder did not challenge nor did he reply to the later, thereby implying that the residents are correct.
Residents also pointed out to  a religious place of worship which will be blocked if the project is allowed to come up. Also the officials were questioned as to how a paddy field was converted to a "C1" zone and that too with an existing road of 4 mts only.  The farmers also pointed out that the proposed road by the builder is 10 mts, and that for the builder to make huge profits the farmers will have to sacrifice their meager land.
The residents also pointed out to an illegal structure constructed by the builders without any permission from MMC and SGPDA. Hence they demanded that the whole project be scrapped.
The Chairperson promised to initiate action immediately including stopping the work. SGPDA officials were also surprised to see these illegalities and said that they were not aware of the facts and that they will take appropriate action in the matter.   
 
Joseph L. R. Vaz - Secretary, Navelim Civic & Consumer Forum