LETTER TO THE EDITOR FOR ISSUE DATED 09TH MARCH 2019

SHRIPAD KEEPS GOING!

Development: Union Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of AYUSH, Shri Shripad Naik unavailing the plaque for laying stone of Tourism Infrastructure development at Madgaon, Karmali and Thivim Station, Capacity Augmentation of Madgaon-Majorda section and additional passenger amenities at Madgaon station, 180 kWp On-Grid Solar Power generating system at Madgaon Stateion, Provision of Platform Surfacing at Tivim Station and Inauguration of Butterfly Platform Shelters and Modified Half Round Shelter at Madgaon Station on March 7, 2019 at Madgaon Railway Station. Member of Parliament South Goa Adv Narendra Sawaikar and Rajyasabha MP Shri Vinay Tendulkar were also present on this occasion.

INTERROGATE PARRIKAR

With that so shocking disclosure now made to the Supreme Court by the Narendra Modi government that the papers relating to the tarnished Rafale deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry, now only a custodial interrogation of Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will reveal it all as to how those controversial files landed in the bedroom of his private residence at Dona Paula. Manohar Parrikar’s custodial interrogation has to be done swiftly as otherwise we may never know the truth of this extremely sordid episode.
Infact that those Rafale files were in Manohar Parrikar’s bedroom was recently discreetly leaked to a local journalist by none other than Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s very own wily Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
But when that became public, it sealed Vishwajit Rane’s tall ambition to be the next Chief Minister. In fact Vishwajit Rane has been desperately hoping against hopes that Manohar Parrikar will fade away and that he will hopefully soon succeed him. But the BJP now is possibly looking for a right opportunity to axe the very ambitious and crafty political cowboy Vishwajit Rane.
— Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar

SPEEDBREAKERS NEEDED URGENTLY
We urgently need a fresh speed-breaker of the old-fashioned slightly bumper type where Divar ferry point is at Ribandar. About a year ago at Tarwada we had a speed breaker of the lightweight iron kind which made a lot of clatter every time traffic passed on it. The homes used to get disturbed and residents got the noisy speed breaker removed. But a lot of accidents take place here (every week one or two accidents) and there is a serious need for a speed breaker of the appropriate kind – one with a small bump just to slow traffic automatically. Can whoever in charge at the PWD do the needful as soon as possible? There are speed breakers and speed breakers and surely there must be application of intelligence when speed breakers are created in different kinds of localities!.
— Saumya Naik, Ribandar

WHY FISH ELSEWHERE?
Every election this problem emerges in Margao. The ‘stakeholders’ are: The Muslims, the ‘Politicians’ from the area who want votes and the local indigenous Goans from whom the Politician wants to acquire land for the Kabrastan. The last is a ‘forced’ stakeholder.
The Politician is the ring master who makes all dance. He calls the shots.
The facts: The Muslim population demanding the Kabrastan has increased exponentially and comprise primarily of migrants. They have huge populations in areas like Chandrawado, Ambajim and Arlem. In fact, there are three Mosques in this area. They own a lot of land, real estate business and illegal scrap yards too, all flourishing because of the local MLA support. Last year there was a death due to a cylinder blast in the scrap yard. The scrap yard should have been shut down as it is in a populated residential area but continues to flourish. This is the ideal place for the Kabrastan.
For them, election time is prime time to bargain with the Politician for land against votes.
The Politician wants to give the Kabrastan- in exchange for votes. He needs to acquire land for the same.
Land today lies in the hands of:

  1. The local indigenous Goan
  2. The Communidade
  3. Real Estate developers/builders
  4. Politicians
  5. Migrants including many Muslim ones
    The Politician is eyeing only nos. 1 and 2. The Muslims too, want land only from these two, else they would have offered their land for acquisition and the problem would have been solved. The Local Goan is pressurised from all quarters — the Politician, the Church, people who call them communal and racist if they oppose etc. so much so they come out with the reasoning that the low-lying land filling will cause them harm etc.
    The solution: The solution must be one that is fair to all. The reason this issue crops up is because everyone wants to take land only from the locals. Why are the three others listed immune to land acquisition? Is this fair? For the last so many decades, land is being acquired only from the locals and the Communidade! This must stop. Everyone must be treated fairly. The solution lies within the sr. no. 3, 4 and 5 only. Why fish elsewhere?
    — R Fernandes, Margao

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