The 'brief' four-day winter session of the Goa Legislative Assembly held in mid-December had its share of fireworks. But then, all sessions do. Only the intensity varies. What however caught the eye of some of us journos, this time, are the targets at whom Opposition Leader, Manohar Parrikar, fired his guns -- Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Health Minister, Vishwajeet Rane.
Parrikar, in his inimitable style 'exposed' at least three scams in departments under the charge of the Chief Minister -- the Rs 40-crore alcohol import scam, the illegal mining scam and the single-print, double-print 'Digambar's Two Years as CM' brochure scam. All the three portfolios -- Finance for the alcohol scam, Mines for illegal mining and Information and Publicity for the brochure scam -- are held by the Chief Minister.
Strangely, Parrikar didn't go for the 'kill' and jaded his attacks by training his guns on the bureaucrats rather than the minister. Also, the killer instinct was extinct. Instead, the Opposition Leader mutely accepted the CM's offer of holding 'administrative' inquiries and entrusting the job to the Chief Secretary. Understandable. Thirty months, that's when the next round of elections are due here in Goa, is too long a time in politics!
As for Vishwajeet, his 'clean sweep' where the health department spent a whopping Rs one-crore on 'outsourcing' cleaning and housekeeping the swanky new but yet-to-be-opened district hospital in his home town of Mapusa that Parrikar and gang exposed, was quite an eye-opener.
Jr Rane got away even more easier than the CM with a "Speaker Sir, If the Opposition Leader has any suggestions on this (outsourcing), I will be happy to accept it," remark directed at Papa in the Speaker's seat.
We smell a plot, don't we?
Ponda’s dusty Christmas
Dashing through the snow...errr...dust!
That in a nutshell has been the story of Santa Claus's journey through Ponda city this Christmas. Fondekars, as the inhabitants of the state's cultural capital are known as, haven't quite had it easy in this last month of the 00's decade. The 'destroy the garden' plan of their city fathers and mothers has occupied their minds for some weeks now, and since September, ongoing works related to gutter repairs, road widening, paving, etcectra, etcectra, have made life miserable living.
Residents complain they can't keep their windows open with the air polluted with dust because the PWD, GSIDC and the civic authorities have bitten more than they can chew. Apparently, the machinery has opened too many fronts and almost all the works in Shantinagar, Santa Cruz, Varkhandem, Silvanagar, Tisk and Durgabhat that have been taken up are incomplete, more than three months since they were taken up.
We can sympathise with the Fondekars. Not a very White Christmas this, for them!
Agassaim PS has another DGP?
Goa DGP, BS Bassi's writ is worth nothing in Agassaim. Instead, the men at the one-storeyed police station hugging the NH-17 on the northern side of the rickety Zuari bridge, take their instructions, orders and diktats from a self-appointed DGP -- local MLA Francis Silveira. The MLA of the area since 1999, Silveira has a Hitlerish stranglehold over the police station, somewhat reminiscent of what happens in Northern India's 'jungle rule'. Any complaint made at the police station inevitably reaches the Silveira residence for adjudication.
Take this one pertaining to domestic violence for example. Some time in early December, an 18-year-old lass had walked up to the police station with a complaint that her maternal uncle, at whose house she lived, had brutally assaulted her. The girl has lost her father, and her mom, is in the Middle-East, earning their bread. The same morning, the uncle who is a government employee and happens to be the MLA's man, reaches the latter's residence. End result: Nothing. There's no case registered, although the girl was sent for medical examination to the GMC and it revealed injuries, including a fracture. Quite to the contrary, the tables were turned against the victim and the officer at the Agassaim police station, abused the girl and her fiance with crass, filthy language when the latter went there to pursue her complaint. The complainant didn't pursue the matter or take it up with the higher-ups at the Police Headquarters, because her fiance was to leave for Dubai to start his innings to earn his bread and the cops might have caused trouble for him on that front. Reason enough for NRI Commissioner Eduardo Faleiro to dump all his labour directed to the welfare of Goans overseas and instead help those who need help most -- dependants of NRIs living here at home.
Interestingly, all this happened at the Agassaim police station less than 72 hours after DGP Bassi's bhashan on how he plans to 'sensitise' the force on police-citizen interface and blah-blah-blah on Human Rights Day.
Name change
There's overwhelming feedback to have a name change. Reluctantly, I've agreed.
Several readers have written, called, e-mailed and even directly conveyed their reservations over the 'tantrums' in this column's nomenclature. It's too negative, say some. Others, including my boss Derek Almeida, say it (tantrums) is too trivial, too kiddish. Don't fully agree, because, kiddish is what the central characters of the column in most cases -- our politicos -- are. Nevertheless, with respect for my boss, and the many readers who want it, the column will have a new name in the new year: Tuesday....... Have a couple of names in mind but haven't quite made the final decision. I have until next Tuesday. Until then, Happy New Year!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Shantaram’s tantrum ‘Boomerangs’
We are under attack... Goa is under attack, our Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, seems to believe. That's why Diggu chose his speech at the 49th Liberation Day Parade, an opportunity otherwise reserved by past Chief Ministers to be the proverbial 'donkey' and indulge in some self praise, to deliver to us his 'stand up and fight to protect Goa's image' battle cry.
Obviously, the reference was to the bad press, specially at the hands of 24x7 TV news channels that Goa and its government has got in the wake of the December 1-2 rape of a Russian lass at Colva. The incident reportedly happened after a dinner that prolonged into the wee hours at the 'Boomerang' shack, at the hands of John Fernandes, a young and able politician who has now absconded into hybernation to evade arrest.
And ironically, much of the bad press was triggered by the fool-hardy attempt of Goa's 'I know all' MP Shantaram Naik to follow the CM's battle cry and protect Goa's image in the Rajya Sabha, which boomeranged with Brinda Karat, Najma Heptulla and Jaya Bachchan pouring scorn.
Shantaram's 'it's different because the Russian lass was out in the dead of the night' didn't quite cut ice. Instead, this foot-in-the-mouth comment, ensured a slugfest, which fortunately for him was in the House of Elders and not the streets of Khareband, lest he'd end up a dead duck at the hands of Brinda Karat & Co like Tadev Diniz did with Filsu Rani!
Clearly, theory that tourism rivalry is the cause for all of Goa's troubles with the national and international media is only half the truth. Often, it turns out to be a 'whole lie' much like the WMD horse-shit on Iraq. Rapes happen. They happen in Washington DC and even in Brinda Karat's CPM-ruled West Bengal too. It almost happened in the White House during Clinton's reign. So, it's no ninth wonder it happens here in Goa. Truth of the matter is, if we are to fight to protect Goa's image as our CM says, it's prudent we -- CM, Shantaram, Churchill, Mickky and their likes included -- make 'truth' the artillery and tell it to shame the 'enemy' who's pounding us. Tell the truth about the rape, the investigations the police are conducting and the state's response to protect and comfort the victim.
Pilot on wheels
Not every twenty-something kid can dream of a BMW for a 'birthday gift'. But here in Goa, there are some who can dream dreams which fructify because daddy is willing to play Santa 24x7 and the 366th day of the leap year too!
Savio, the only son of the eldest strongman from Varca, dreamt he was a 'pilot'. Daddy did everything he could and even packed him off Down Under in his teens to allow him to fly his pilot dream. Unfortunately, he didn't quite come out with flying colours, the congratulatory advertisements notwithstanding. No airline has for almost a year laid out the red carpet to their cockpits for him as yet.
But daddy's not one to give up on his son's flying dreams. If he can't fly in the skies then fly he will, even if it is on Goa's roads. So, he had a surprise for Savio on December 5, this year. The keys to a brand new, top-end BMW alongside his birthday cake! And, fly indeed was what Savio did in his latest machine, all the way from his Varca home to the hustle and bustle of 'Butter' in Candolim. Tequila was on the house and flowing! A fish who almost drowned in the flowing Tequila tells us that every drop of the Mexican drink was accounted and paid for!
So now, Goa has the distinction of not only having 'pilots' on two wheels -- our good old motorcycle taxiwallahs -- but at least one 'pilot' on roaring four-wheels!...and Audis too!
Not to be outdone, a politician from the North who's known to be flashy with the wheels he owns and drives, has gifted his son a ride in Audis, perhaps all his life. The politico has taken the agency for Audis in Goa and the son, who was in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, takes a jolly good ride on every single one that lands in the state. There is one we know of that's crashed, smashed and mangled!
Goa’s still green
Last weekend, I drove down to my native village in Salcete and took the road along Zuari's banks from Cortalim southwards. A bumpier ride then NH-17 but no regrets. At least it gave us the pleasant view of women bent down to sow the fields!
Yes. Contrary to the general feeling, agriculture isn't really dead or confined to the further reaches of Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona. In Salcete too the niz Goenkar is returning to sowing the second crop and it's not just concrete growing in our fields although some eyesores do contaminate one's view during the drive. Credit for this, at least in the Quelossim-Rassaim belt must go to the former Cortalim MLA Matanhy Saldanha, who pursued the ryots' interests with missionary zeal and ensured the manos (sluice-gate) got the money for it to be sealed and saline intrusions done away with, once for all.
Could we have more regions in Goa coming under double and triple-cropping? If money can be 'outsourced' (a whole one crore of rupees) to ensure that the yet-to-be-commissioned district hospital in Mapusa is the whitest of elephants, could the health minister who incidentally is also the agriculture minister, use some of his fiscal wizardry to buckle up the sluice-gates along our rivers and let our generations taste the thunder of para-boiled, red rice?
Where’s Santa gone?
It's December 22 today. Geography taught me it's the longest night on our side of the equator. Gosh! what a long night it seems to be. Forty-eight hours away from Christmas and the jingle is missing. It's nowhere close to white and barring the 'santa hats' on the heads of salesboys and girls in stores, I'm yet to come accross any scene where cacophonic children chase 'Santa Claus'. Even 'Climate Change' and the melting snow isn't driving Santa away from the North Pole it seems!
Hey, journos! Leave them kids alone…
Over this year, my peers have forced upon readers a several dozen times the ‘news’ (sic) that Baba, Babush and Patnekar are joining the grand old party. One of GT’s peers - which prides itself with ‘The Paper You Can Trust’ 'mission statement' and uses it right under its Masthead - even predicted the date, hour, minute and second of their celebrated entry a few times. And each time, its 'mission statement' got murdered!
Yesterday December 13, it repeated the act. It led its Sunday edition with the ‘news’ that Baba and Baush will be joining the Congress on Monday. The mission statement got murdered, yet again.
As if not to be outdone, other newspapers followed suit and one paper had a Page 1 lead on Monday that said the home-coming was delayed. Ditto with the Miramar edition of the Old Lady of Boribunder, which gave the Babush-Baba re-entry event a timeline -- sometime after the upcoming session of the legislative Assembly session ends on December 21. Thankfully for our profession, the world’s largest newspaper, quoted the horse - Babush - saying this.
Let the 'Bs' come and go when the kingdom comes. Not a pin in this administration will move any faster or slower if it eventually happens (that's if pins actually move in this administration at all). Beats me how this bit of pure speculation repeatedly turns out to be 'news' in our dailies. In the Congress or outside, the 'Big B' from Taleigao and the 'Small (piqueno) B' from Valpoi will be part of Goa's political palate for many years to come, if only for the sheer colour of their money.
For the moment though, the NCP, for whose 'group of six' Baba seemed the pivot, will be left licking its wounds... unwanted by Big Brother to run its government in Goa.
It's best that these kiddish politicos are left alone on this political theatre. I'd borrow a line from Pink Floyd's 1980s 'Another brick in the wall' hit -- Hey journos, leave them kids alone!
Mickky’s ‘rape capital’
Tourism Minister, Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco, made the news last week for more reasons than his birthday celebrations. The 'enfant terrible' of the cabinet is apparently still not in talking terms with the CM, and so, he had to take his point across to Diggu through a letter -- that Goa could soon be touted the 'Rape Capital' of India - if he, the CM, does not set things right in the police department.The provocation obviously was the December 1-2 incident in which Mickky's tormentor at the 2007 assembly elections - John Fernandes - has been accused of raping a Russian. In normal course, John should have been arrested, and Mickky was reportedly hovering near the Colva police station, around the time the Russian filed her complaint. But it did not happen, perhaps because PI Edwin Colaco, who is said to be the minister's blue-eyed boy, was on leave and the case was being handled by Maina-Curtorim PI, Sidhant Shirodkar. And, when Edwin returned, he got just 12 hours on the case before it got transferred to the Crime Branch, which has a history with Mickky on the 'I-owe-the-casino and casino-owes-me' front!
So, the 'Rape Capital' of India letter makes the news even faster than the letter reaches the Chief Minister's office, with help from a fair and lovely young journo, who allegedly distributed copies to his journo mates at the behest of the Minister's office. Beats us why the overtly accessible OSD of the Minister couldn't officially dispatch the letters to newspaper offices!
Nevertheless, the letter per-se was a marvel from the tourism minister, except that it came a wee bit too late. Mahanand Naik had already made Goa the country's 'Rape-and-Murder Captial' months ago!
Churchill’s ‘white skin’ funda
Not to be outdone, Mickky's foe (or friend?) Churchill Alemao too made the headlines with his 'media is obsessed with white skin' remark. Clearly on the opposite side of the spectrum as Mickky on the Russian's rape episode, Churchill lambasted the media for what he called its penchant of hyping reportage of rape case where the victims are foreigners. Several rape case involving local victims get shunned to obscurity, he lamented.
But what from what Churchill said, perhaps caught the mind of the average Goenkar, the aam admi so to say, is his remark on the cultural invasion that tourism has forced on to the local populace, at least in the coastal belt. 'I have five daughters. They all come home from partying by 11 pm, max by mid-night. What are these girls doing in shacks at 2 and 4 in the morning?' was the elder Alemao's refrain. Certainly strikes a chord with the fifty-something and sixty-something Goans!
Yesterday December 13, it repeated the act. It led its Sunday edition with the ‘news’ that Baba and Baush will be joining the Congress on Monday. The mission statement got murdered, yet again.
As if not to be outdone, other newspapers followed suit and one paper had a Page 1 lead on Monday that said the home-coming was delayed. Ditto with the Miramar edition of the Old Lady of Boribunder, which gave the Babush-Baba re-entry event a timeline -- sometime after the upcoming session of the legislative Assembly session ends on December 21. Thankfully for our profession, the world’s largest newspaper, quoted the horse - Babush - saying this.
Let the 'Bs' come and go when the kingdom comes. Not a pin in this administration will move any faster or slower if it eventually happens (that's if pins actually move in this administration at all). Beats me how this bit of pure speculation repeatedly turns out to be 'news' in our dailies. In the Congress or outside, the 'Big B' from Taleigao and the 'Small (piqueno) B' from Valpoi will be part of Goa's political palate for many years to come, if only for the sheer colour of their money.
For the moment though, the NCP, for whose 'group of six' Baba seemed the pivot, will be left licking its wounds... unwanted by Big Brother to run its government in Goa.
It's best that these kiddish politicos are left alone on this political theatre. I'd borrow a line from Pink Floyd's 1980s 'Another brick in the wall' hit -- Hey journos, leave them kids alone!
Mickky’s ‘rape capital’
Tourism Minister, Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco, made the news last week for more reasons than his birthday celebrations. The 'enfant terrible' of the cabinet is apparently still not in talking terms with the CM, and so, he had to take his point across to Diggu through a letter -- that Goa could soon be touted the 'Rape Capital' of India - if he, the CM, does not set things right in the police department.The provocation obviously was the December 1-2 incident in which Mickky's tormentor at the 2007 assembly elections - John Fernandes - has been accused of raping a Russian. In normal course, John should have been arrested, and Mickky was reportedly hovering near the Colva police station, around the time the Russian filed her complaint. But it did not happen, perhaps because PI Edwin Colaco, who is said to be the minister's blue-eyed boy, was on leave and the case was being handled by Maina-Curtorim PI, Sidhant Shirodkar. And, when Edwin returned, he got just 12 hours on the case before it got transferred to the Crime Branch, which has a history with Mickky on the 'I-owe-the-casino and casino-owes-me' front!
So, the 'Rape Capital' of India letter makes the news even faster than the letter reaches the Chief Minister's office, with help from a fair and lovely young journo, who allegedly distributed copies to his journo mates at the behest of the Minister's office. Beats us why the overtly accessible OSD of the Minister couldn't officially dispatch the letters to newspaper offices!
Nevertheless, the letter per-se was a marvel from the tourism minister, except that it came a wee bit too late. Mahanand Naik had already made Goa the country's 'Rape-and-Murder Captial' months ago!
Churchill’s ‘white skin’ funda
Not to be outdone, Mickky's foe (or friend?) Churchill Alemao too made the headlines with his 'media is obsessed with white skin' remark. Clearly on the opposite side of the spectrum as Mickky on the Russian's rape episode, Churchill lambasted the media for what he called its penchant of hyping reportage of rape case where the victims are foreigners. Several rape case involving local victims get shunned to obscurity, he lamented.
But what from what Churchill said, perhaps caught the mind of the average Goenkar, the aam admi so to say, is his remark on the cultural invasion that tourism has forced on to the local populace, at least in the coastal belt. 'I have five daughters. They all come home from partying by 11 pm, max by mid-night. What are these girls doing in shacks at 2 and 4 in the morning?' was the elder Alemao's refrain. Certainly strikes a chord with the fifty-something and sixty-something Goans!
‘Kodas’ having a free run in Goa!
The surge in mining which began at the fag end of the last millenium in late 1990s, is just refusing to die down. And any, and almost every, Tom, Dick and Harry from Goa's political arena are rushing to become mine owners. Licences and legalities be damned. The mining industry is cluttered to such an extent today, that the doyens of mining in Goa, are finding the going tough.
Industry sources believe that this is one, if not the major, reason why a leading mining firm sold all itself lock-stock-and-barrel to another leading mining firm.
But all that's happening on the mining front, like is the case with real estate, comes in all shades of black and gray. At least half-a-dozen 'Kodas' are looming large in iron-ore rich forests, looting and plundering the rich earth of Goa. Some without licences or even leases!
The sum and effect of all this is the story of our politics. Hate them, and yet they win. For, in elections, unlike in life, money can buy you voters' love!
Meanwhile, Rajendra Kerkar, Ramesh Gauns, Sebestian Rodrigues and the Goa Mines Affected People (GOAMAP) continue their fight against the destruction in the hinterland all by themselves and without any support either from Opposition politicos or the dime a dozen white-collared activists swarming our cities. But finally, the Opposition BJP is threatening to take the government to task on the illegal mining issue in the next assembly. Let's wait and see.
Real estate adds to the story
Ditto like mining is the story of real estate. When the cyclic boom in real estate happened here in Goa in the 1980s and the better part of the 1990s, Goa politicians, from petty panchas to the top-most MLAs and ministers, weren't satisfied with just the kick-backs. They wanted more. So, they themselves became developers and builders, floating companies in the names of their wives, sons, daughters, in-laws, out-laws, cats and dogs. This gamble, in fact, saw one politician, who according to political folklore could not even afford his security deposit for his maiden MLA election, rise up to become at one point the highest income tax payer of the state.
In the second wave of the real estate boom which began early in the new millenium and continues till date, the politicos found more company -- the babus. Every big land deal in the 2000s had an MLA, minister or a bureaucrat, act as a broker, and that too officially. In fact, not very long ago, a high-profile bureaucrat lost his job, ostensibly on disciplinary grounds. The real reason however was that he had beat the high-profile son of a politician to brokering a land deal. Talk is that the stamp papers used to formalise this deal alone were worth some 30-odd lakhs of rupees! Another top politician, who once championed the cause of 'Mundkars' cracked a deal worth some half-a-dozen crores of rupees for property around the Cine National area. Months after this deal, kiosks that cluttered the footpath around the Massano de Amorim building, that obstinately refused to vacate the area despite that famous 'clear the foothpaths' judgement of Justice Ferdino Rebello, disappeared in a single night. Now, despite the 'Save Goa Movement', the scrapping of the monstrous Regional Plan 2011 and all that the Task Force did, the 'mega projects' keep propping up here, there and everywhere.
Jai ho!Slips that slipped past the journos
The IFFI that just went by got reported as if journos held a magnifying glass. As a journo myself, no complaints about it. But what's upsetting is that despite their microscopic glare which in some instances even caught 'pleasurable moments' of audiences at one of the sizzling screenings, a glaring goof-up in broad daylight went unreported.
Waheeda Rehman who was chief guest at the opening ceremony arrived at Dabolim and there was nobody to receive her. At ground zero in the old GMC complex however, people were deputed to receive her. Those given the responsibility reached the airport and did pick up Waheeda. Only, their Waheeda turned out to be the wrong one, and they realised this half way to their destination -- Cidade de Goa.
What the ushers did was give a warm welcome to two women who they thought were Waheeda and her companion!
Fortunately for the officialdom at ESG, the issue got swept right under the Red Carpet as no journo got a whiff of it, except yours truly, well after the show was all over and done.
The great shacks scam
Last week I wrote about how the Tourism Department found the Supreme Court closer than the Bombay High Court's bench at Goa. This week, however, it seems that the department is restoring the distances. With the Supreme Court upholding the High Court order for 'shacks by lots' and imposing on it a policy opposed to the wishes of its head-honchos, the order just doesn't seem to be reaching the desk of Toursim Director, Swapnil Naik. For the tourism department, the Apex court is now beyond the Himalayas!
Naik, according to his own admission, has been briefed about the Apex Court's order by the lawyers that represented him and the Goa government. Yet, there's no sign that he's doing anything to implement it.
On the contrary, he told journos yesterday, that he'll have to check how many 'illegal shacks' have already come up on the beaches and only then set in motion the process of allocation of shacks for this season, already half over. What cheek!
Industry sources believe that this is one, if not the major, reason why a leading mining firm sold all itself lock-stock-and-barrel to another leading mining firm.
But all that's happening on the mining front, like is the case with real estate, comes in all shades of black and gray. At least half-a-dozen 'Kodas' are looming large in iron-ore rich forests, looting and plundering the rich earth of Goa. Some without licences or even leases!
The sum and effect of all this is the story of our politics. Hate them, and yet they win. For, in elections, unlike in life, money can buy you voters' love!
Meanwhile, Rajendra Kerkar, Ramesh Gauns, Sebestian Rodrigues and the Goa Mines Affected People (GOAMAP) continue their fight against the destruction in the hinterland all by themselves and without any support either from Opposition politicos or the dime a dozen white-collared activists swarming our cities. But finally, the Opposition BJP is threatening to take the government to task on the illegal mining issue in the next assembly. Let's wait and see.
Real estate adds to the story
Ditto like mining is the story of real estate. When the cyclic boom in real estate happened here in Goa in the 1980s and the better part of the 1990s, Goa politicians, from petty panchas to the top-most MLAs and ministers, weren't satisfied with just the kick-backs. They wanted more. So, they themselves became developers and builders, floating companies in the names of their wives, sons, daughters, in-laws, out-laws, cats and dogs. This gamble, in fact, saw one politician, who according to political folklore could not even afford his security deposit for his maiden MLA election, rise up to become at one point the highest income tax payer of the state.
In the second wave of the real estate boom which began early in the new millenium and continues till date, the politicos found more company -- the babus. Every big land deal in the 2000s had an MLA, minister or a bureaucrat, act as a broker, and that too officially. In fact, not very long ago, a high-profile bureaucrat lost his job, ostensibly on disciplinary grounds. The real reason however was that he had beat the high-profile son of a politician to brokering a land deal. Talk is that the stamp papers used to formalise this deal alone were worth some 30-odd lakhs of rupees! Another top politician, who once championed the cause of 'Mundkars' cracked a deal worth some half-a-dozen crores of rupees for property around the Cine National area. Months after this deal, kiosks that cluttered the footpath around the Massano de Amorim building, that obstinately refused to vacate the area despite that famous 'clear the foothpaths' judgement of Justice Ferdino Rebello, disappeared in a single night. Now, despite the 'Save Goa Movement', the scrapping of the monstrous Regional Plan 2011 and all that the Task Force did, the 'mega projects' keep propping up here, there and everywhere.
Jai ho!Slips that slipped past the journos
The IFFI that just went by got reported as if journos held a magnifying glass. As a journo myself, no complaints about it. But what's upsetting is that despite their microscopic glare which in some instances even caught 'pleasurable moments' of audiences at one of the sizzling screenings, a glaring goof-up in broad daylight went unreported.Waheeda Rehman who was chief guest at the opening ceremony arrived at Dabolim and there was nobody to receive her. At ground zero in the old GMC complex however, people were deputed to receive her. Those given the responsibility reached the airport and did pick up Waheeda. Only, their Waheeda turned out to be the wrong one, and they realised this half way to their destination -- Cidade de Goa.
What the ushers did was give a warm welcome to two women who they thought were Waheeda and her companion!
Fortunately for the officialdom at ESG, the issue got swept right under the Red Carpet as no journo got a whiff of it, except yours truly, well after the show was all over and done.
The great shacks scam
Last week I wrote about how the Tourism Department found the Supreme Court closer than the Bombay High Court's bench at Goa. This week, however, it seems that the department is restoring the distances. With the Supreme Court upholding the High Court order for 'shacks by lots' and imposing on it a policy opposed to the wishes of its head-honchos, the order just doesn't seem to be reaching the desk of Toursim Director, Swapnil Naik. For the tourism department, the Apex court is now beyond the Himalayas!
Naik, according to his own admission, has been briefed about the Apex Court's order by the lawyers that represented him and the Goa government. Yet, there's no sign that he's doing anything to implement it.
On the contrary, he told journos yesterday, that he'll have to check how many 'illegal shacks' have already come up on the beaches and only then set in motion the process of allocation of shacks for this season, already half over. What cheek!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)