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PRAMOD SAWANT SAYS BIG BOAT WON’T COME!
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PRAMOD SAWANT SAYS BIG BOAT WON’T COME!

Mar 07- Mar 13, 2026, Stray Thoughts March 6, 2026 , by

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the increasing silent revolt against the Monserrate stranglehold on the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). For a Saturday following the week when the silence of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on the fate of Goans trapped in the war zone the Gulf countries have become. For a Saturday following the week when the on BJP president Damu Naik and the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai coming together to celebrate Holi in Madgaon. For a Saturday following the week when the ongoing Enough is Enough movement.
AND a few stray thoughts on the increasing silent revolt against the Monserrate stranglehold on the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). Though nominally Rohit Monserrate is the mayor of Panjim or Panaji it is clear that it is the senior Monserrates who are running the smart capital city. Rohit, in fact, ran away from a confrontation with veteran Panjim citizens opposing the entry of a new Deltin casino ship — which is reportedly 100 mts long and with floor space equivalent to a 10-storeyed building.
It may be recalled that Aam Aadmi president Valmiki Naik was physically evicted by the Goa police a little before Revolutionary Goans’ MLA Viresh Borkar was dragged down the stairway of the Town & Country Planning offices at Patto. To compound all this TCP minister Vishwajit Rane insisted that if casinos are removed Panjim will become a desert. Mayor Rohit Monserrate claimed that the CCP had no control over the offshore casino operations, because they are under the jurisdiction of the River Navigation department headed by BJP Minister for PWD Digambar Kamat.
Rohit however does not admit that the CCP has control over the land based casinos in 5-star hotels. Among which the biggest shore-based casino is STRIKE at the Bambolim Hyatt which is linked to Big Daddy. In any case, all the offshore casinos have their ticketing offices in Panjim. In fact they have even built private jetties on the Mandovi river with or without the clearances.
Utpal Parrikar does not have the guts to demand the shifting or removal of the offshore casinos from the Mandovi river. Utpal has not even approached the induction of the new mega casino into the Mandovi river near Reis Magos.
The problem with the CCP election scheduled for March 11 coming up is that neither group whether it is the Babush panel or the Utpal panel have come out with a clear cut manifesto. We are all aware of the miserable performance of the Babush panel which did not protect the residents of Panjim from the horrors of the smart city projects. The Babush panel has not clarified what it intends to do to solve the problems of parking, congestion, and most importantly of all the continued invasion of Panjim by the real estate lobby.
If you Google forthcoming tower buildings in Panjim with 10 storeys or more you will come across a mega housing project coming up at Miramar right on the beach. This project continues to be seen on Facebook posts as new projects coming up in already choked Caranzalen and Dona Paula areas.
Where is the infrastructure for the continuing urbanization of Panjim? There is no comment from either the Babush Monserrate or Utpal Parrikar panels on crying issues. For example, the carrying capacity of Panjim city where the population here itself is only 40,000 but the extended links to Panjim city creates a population of 1.5 lakh. There is concern over tourist invasion in heritage precincts like the old Campal and Fontainhas areas.
The candidate from Ward 11, Jack Ajit Sequeira, is the grandson of the legendary Opinion Poll hero Jack Sequeira, he has heritage hotels at Fontainhas along with Panjim Inn. In a phone conversation we suggested to Valmiki Naik of AAP which supporting the Ami Panjikar group to quickly come out with a timely manifesto. Most Panjim votes do not look at Facebook posts or bother about going to the websites.
Time is running out and the Utpal Parrikar panel should announce its concrete plan as well as who their face of the mayor is – what are their plans for the cleaning up and maintenance of gardens (of which Panjim has very many mercifully) which are the lungs of the city. We still have to see anyone up there giving a thought to the indifferent maintenance of the children’s park at old Caranzalen in Ward No2 as well as other parks little and not so little in Panjim. Gardens and parks are the only places where children and seniors go for a walk or an evening of outdoors.

GULF WAR ZONE
AND a few stray thoughts on the silence of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on the fate of Goans trapped in the war zone the Gulf countries have become. It is well known that there are almost 2.5 lakh Goans spread across the Gulf countries Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and even Bahrain. These Goans support their families back home in Goa. Without their regular remittances many Goan families would not be able to survive.
Though Goa has a commissioner for NRI affairs there has been no comment from former MP and lawyer Narendra Sawaikar. The Goans are trapped as the few flights that have been permitted are focusing on ironically the crew of the airlines themselves trapped in the Gulf countries. Dubai and other airports are under the retaliatory fire of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Besides the safety concerns, the war at least in the short term will involve the loss of livelihood, as all the commercial and industrial hubs have shut down. Of greater concern to India is the closure of the Homraz straits through which 20% of global petroleum and 50% of Indian imports have to pass through.
There seems to be no end in sight as US President Donald Trump seems to have grossly underestimated the strike back capacity of the Iranian defense authorities. Iran’s missiles may not be able to reach the United States or even Israel. But the missile shields which are supposed to be difficult to penetrate have not been able to prevent damage to the Gulf countries and even to Israel. Iran seems to have incredible resilience with Russia and China joining at least the verbal battle in condemning the assassination of Ali Khameini. It is likely that this is the beginning of the 3rd world war. Interestingly, even leading American academics have pointed out that it is the tail of Israel which is wagging the mighty USA dog.
The US and Israel might not suffer much damage but the Gulf economy will take many years to recover. Dubai, which was considered the safest place in the world, is in bad shape as hotels and the iconic 163-floored Burj Khalifa tower has been targeted and is broken. This will not mean a permanent loss of jobs to the migrants because the Gulf cannot rebuild without the help of the 10 million migrants from India and the three lakh migrants from Goa.

HOLI CAMARADERIE
AND a few stray thoughts on BJP president Damu Naik and the Goa Forward chief Vijai Sardesai coming together to celebrate Holi in Madgaon. This is the spirit of Goenkarponn. In Goa, politicians do not permit party labels to come in the way of fraternity spirit. They come together across communal and party lines not only for Holi and Diwali but also for Christmas and New Year.
This Goenkarponn is also manifest at high society marriages receptions. When a senior leader dies all politicians come together to mourn. The spirit of Goa is far too strong for mere politicians to collude in the destruction of Goan asmitai. This was dramatized in Chimbel during the Unity Mall agitation. It was again demonstrated when MLA Viresh Borkar went on a hunger strike to revoke the conversions granted in St Andre against mega real estate projects by Goans and non-Goans.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
AND a few stray thoughts on the ongoing Enough is Enough movement. Closely in the wake of a video put out by Dr Oscar Rebello on his support to the Revolutionary Goans party, Justice Ferdino Rebello appeared on another video assuring Goans that the Enough is Enough movement is alive and moving.
Justice Ferdino has pointed out that the bill he had drafted for the Goa legislative assembly to revoke Article 39 (A) was going to be debated in the budget session starting March 6. Morever, a team of lawyers were working on a PIL to oppose the entry of the new monster Deltin casino into the Mandovi river. Enough is Enough is also organizing meetings in Ponda, Vasco da Gama and other urban areas of the state to educate the people of Goa about what the stakes if development is along such along mega construction projects everywhere in a small hilly state.
We wish the two articulate Rebellos would reach out to each other in the larger interests of Goa. Justice Ferdino Rebello will exercise his judicial acumen while Dr Oscar Rebello may demonstrate his sharp surgical strike skills.

HOLI IN GOA
AND a final stray thought for another Saturday on the celebration of Holi in Goa. Chief Minister Pramod sawant has posted videos of the family celebration with wife Sulakshana anointing him with the colors of the rainbow. The CM and his spouse have also been celebrating Holi with their supporters and loudly singing the Holi songs. Holi is really a north Indian tradition adopted by Goans.
The traditional Goan Holi is really rooted in the Shigmo which sees a float parade on the lines of the carnaval parade. Goa’s real version of Holi is the gulal festival at the Zaumbolim temple which is a GSB affair which sees a riot of colour powders flying in the air. Domestic tourists have been literally coloring up foreign tourists on the beaches saying “Maaf karo Holi hai!” We don’t know if the foreign tourists enjoy this or resent the liberties taken for granted in the name of the festival.

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