Home / Uncategorized / Where does the buck stop?
Where does the buck stop?
Comments Off on Where does the buck stop?

Where does the buck stop?

Uncategorized December 12, 2025 , by

As an editor, I have always borne the responsibility of everything published in my newspaper. Can we have similar accountability in the case of tragic fire at Birch nightclub from the executives of every ministry and department in Goa?

I wish I had never become a journalist. And even worst– an editor. As an editor, you cannot pass the buck. There is a damn law which makes the editor responsible for every sentence, word and letter printed and published in a newspaper.
It is not publicised loudly. It appears in very small, almost ineligible print at the bottom of a page. An editor is responsible – morally and legally – for everything that appears in his newspaper, including advertisements, vacancies, obituaries, lotteries and matka numbers.
If you get anything wrong, you can be arrested and jailed. You must be particularly careful about writing on judges, you can be hauled up for contempt of court.
Every publication –whether it is a daily, weekly or monthly – must mandatorily carry an imprint line declaring the editor, whose name appears alongside, is responsible for all the contents that appears in the publication.
Not the reporter, or the distinguished columnist – even if he may be the prime minister under whose name the article has appeared. Not the news editors or the chief sub-editors, the gatekeepers who must ensure nothing dangerous, libel or untruthful gets published.
Not the designers nor the rural correspondents, whose English was weak and reported that an establishment in his Assagao village was stocking and selling explosives as it was called Gunpowder.
A Madrasi colleague, fortunately realised, it was euphemism used by a restaurant selling idli with a chilli powder mixture popularly called Gunpowder. I was once hauled up by Justice Gustavo Couto for a ‘letter to the editor’ by Prof Anne Menezès titled Justice Goan by a junior colleague.
The judge, whose English was weak, decided it was a slur on the judiciary. I had to make a hundred rounds of the court because my ad department, without consulting me, had put a picture of two employees – a girl and a boy – together, which the families objected.
I have no issues with it. I am willing to take responsibility for what I print Including errors of omission and commission of my colleagues, down to the peons who are now called multitasking employee. But I strongly believe this should apply to all chief executives including the prime ministers, chief ministers, cabinet ministers, chief secretaries, director generals, and others.
The fire in Birch by Romeo Lane, started by firecrackers, may not have caused so much damage if there were fire safety equipment in place. Apparently, the club was not checked for fire safety. It did not even have clearance from the fire safety department.
The regional fire officer was remiss Nitin Raiker, who should have pulled up the club owners and closed it. He failed to do so, sparking a fire claiming 25 lives. The passage was too narrow for the fire brigade vehicle.
Ironically, the night club was illegally built on the beach on tourism department land, metres away from the sea where there was enough water to put off the fire. The structure was illegal. The deputy director of the tourism department claimed it was demolished but was rebuilt because the Luthra brothers had powerful godfathers.
When fire took place, tourism minister was campaigning for the Zilla Parishad candidate in his constituency. Going by the media principle of accountability that the boss is responsible for all things that go wrong in the newspaper the tourism minister Rohan Khaunte should be held responsible.
But he is manipulated by corrupt colleagues specialising in issuing permits without compliance for a price. So, where does the buck stop? Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is doubly damned. The CM allowed the club to function without clearance. He stopped demolition thrice as home minister.
No one knows who owns the beaches. During the ironman fiasco, superintendent of police (SP) Rahul Gupta and the directorate of fisheries were blamed. The Khaunte complained he was not consulted.
Since the revelation that 198 square meters belonged to the tourism department, it was he but it was CM who demolished it. But why only 198 sqm structure?
The buck stops at Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, who allowed construction without permission, local MLA Micheal Lobo, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. And all of us gutless Goans – Burn Baby Burn.

No related posts.

Search

Back to Top