‘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!