Goa’s history is not chicken Kolhapuri – By Nisser Dias

Some years down the line our grandchildren will ask us, why did you’ll allow a ‘ghatti’ to become chief minister of Goa? They would want to know whether there were no Goans worth their salt, that a non-Goan was made the chief minister of Goa. The fact of today will be history of tomorrow. And we will have to narrate them the facts. That a perceived intelligent ex-chief minister late Manohar Parrikar decided on his deathbed to bestow his crown on a non-Goan ignoring all the other elected Goans. That is late Manohar Parrikar’s legacy. Pramod Sawant is an RSS and ex-chief minister’s decision was influenced by his RSS community. This is also a fact and will also become history. Thus, Goa’s history is not chicken Kolhapuri, Mr. imported chief minister. Very recently the ‘bhailo’ chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has called for wiping out signs of Portuguese culture in Goa. It is best that we ignore these imprudent and senseless statements as Kolhapur chief minister of Goa is thoroughly unlettered in Goa’s history. By trying to show he knows Goa’s history, he is making a fool of himself, bigger than the Goans all around the world know him to be. BJP and RSS have mastered the art of distorting history, but however much they might try history is well documented, archived not only in India but all over the libraries in the world and hence will remain what it is.

But to meet or rather fulfill their agenda, BJP and RSS are distorting history in school text books basically to indoctrinate young minds towards their point of view. Pramod Sawant might have taken it upon himself to carry out the same exercise of twisting or re-writing Goan history in Goa, however he should remember it is not chicken Kolhapuri to experiment with it by adding and subtracting ingredients and spices. Goan history is not chicken Kolhapuri to wipe away with chapati. There is no denying that the Portuguese during their 451 years of rule in Goa resorted to atrocities and demolished temples. We have to live with it irrespective of our choice. At the same time, we cannot overlook the good that the Portuguese did. The Uniform Civil Code which no other state in India has. Property and civil laws, Heritage monuments, Goa’s unique houses and not forgetting fruits and vegetables they introduced in Goa. Not forgetting allowing Goans a gateway for employment, a better lifestyle through Portuguese passport. And who is this outsider Pramod Sawant to call for wiping out signs of Portuguese Culture? We would perhaps like to erase that a non-Goan is the chief minister of Goa. Unlike the ‘ghatti’ chief minister Pramod Sawant, we cannot dwell in the past but be forward-looking. What Pramod Sawant and his party doing is just hate-mongering and they have made violence their virtue only for the sake of power. Lest this ‘ghatti’ forgets, Portuguese have realized the follies of the past. And today have allowed temples to be built in Portugal. Does the communal element like Pramod Sawant see this? For the BJP and RSS and Pramod Sawant who is also an RSS, even the Constitution of India is an aberration because Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar fondly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar added the word ‘secular’ in its preamble, which they want to do away with. For the non-Goan chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant, to rake up a non-issue of the Portuguese demolishing temples in Goa is nothing but political. His intentions are to create a situation like Ayodhya during the demolition of Babri masjid in Goa, polarize voters and win elections.

This design is evil as it will create a divide between various religious communities living harmoniously in Goa and has to be condemned and outrightly rejected. Portuguese came, resided in Goa and were made to leave, during the 451 years period of colonial rule they did good as well as bad. Mr. ‘ghatti’ when will you leave Goa? Pramod Sawant is simply trying to rake up a whimsical issue to cover his misgovernance and mal-administration. The height of his inefficiency is that he could even name the Mopa airport properly. Or maybe he wants to wipe late Manohar Parrikar’s so-called cooked-up legacy.
In conclusion, Mr. Pramod Sawant, Goa’s history is not your native chicken Kolhapuri.

Electricity department engineers are incompetent aka Power minister -- By Nisser Dias

Slight drizzle or mild lighting and thunder and a light breeze cause power outages in Goa. This is an indication of the quality of personnel the government of Goa has appointed to provide and maintain the power supply in the state. It also gives an insight into how the appointment of electrical engineers is done, pay the ministers and MLAs lakhs of rupees and inefficient, incompetent engineers are engaged by the government. Engineers who would never make it in the much more competent private sector end up in the electricity department. Engineers in the electricity department land the jobs not because of their knowledge of the subject but because of the bribes they can afford to pay the ministers to get the lucrative government job. If not let someone explain the delicate power system. Annual power shutdowns, and periodical shutdowns all in the name of maintenance of power equipment have not given any relief to the end consumer. Who continues to suffer from erratic power supply, frequent power outages and fluctuation on a daily basis. The electricity department engineers have over the period of time instead of improving the quality of electricity supply have developed indigenous replies to power issues. The replies are meant to confuse the layperson. Explanations like ‘circuits of the feeder station have failed’, ‘transformer batteries have developed faults’, ‘jumpers are being replaced’ and ‘transformers are being overhauled’ are among the many defenses the engineer’s resort to besides tree or tree branches fallen on transmission lines, fixing of street lights, transmission lines are old and the list goes on. Without flinching I can say that the increase in power tariffs is in proportion to the number of times in a single day power supply is denied to the consumer. Since the power shutdown for more than 12 hours on 21st May for annual maintenance, the quality of the power supply is pitiful. Two days after the shutdown villages in Salcete taluka had to suffer scorching heat for more than 2 hours, this is besides power cuts and fluctuations every day. The reason given was Velim feeder developed problems. A few days thereafter there was a power outage in the evening because one of the circuits at Xeldem station failed. In the month of June itself, business establishments along the Salcete coastal belt were denied power for 12 hours as the 11KV line was found to be faulty. On June 9th with light drizzle power supply was cut off for more than 5 hours as the battery of one of the transformers failed. At the same time, the government is also responsible for the power crisis in the state. And can we expect quality power supply when brokers like Monteiros are calling the shots in the power department and the engineers are reduced to minions of these extra-constitutional persons? Power minister Sudin Davlikar should in fact accept responsibility for worse state of affairs in the department and resign.

Benaulim MLA is all about bark and no bite -- By Nisser Dias

Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas recently released a video on social media wherein he is in conversation with the Airport Director at Dabolim, offering to provide wheelchairs for use by the needy fliers from the MLA’s fund. All this publicity stunt evolves from an incident, wherein a foreign tourist was made to pay Rs. 4000 for a wheelchair by some errant airport employees. Thank God, that he did not ask the tourist to eat a lobster costing Rs. 8000 and worse still did not offer to pay for it.

Viegas, in his hunger to be in the public eye or rather for cheap publicity, is making a fool of himself and the constituents, especially those who cast their precious franchise in his favour. The other voters who resisted voting for him are having the last laugh, for electing a bigger nerd than we previously had. To charge Rs. 4000 is definitely wrong, it is extortion, but to promise funds allotted to the development of Benaulim is complete hogwash. But what can we expect from a person who is a publicity hawk and on a fast track to nowhere.

Even after the Airport Director informed him that the wheelchairs are provided by the airlines, Benaulim MLA insisted on diverting the funds meant for his constituency. Benaulim constituents would have been further embarrassed had the Airport Director taken up Venzy Viegas on his offer, as the government or the Finance department would have never sanctioned the funds for the purpose. Instead of making unrealistic comments to be on social media, Viegas should use the funds for the betterment of his constituency by tarring roads, developing open and recreational spaces etc.

Benaulim legislator is all about bark and no bite, He simply makes noises, addresses press conferences, does not miss an opportunity to give sound bytes to the waiting media to be in the public eye but in reality, no work is seen done. His bark has become so hollow that even the government and its officials do not take him seriously. Benaulim constituents should hang their head in shame simply because despite the MLA boasting of having two offices of his own in the constituency, he had to park his car Illegally on the road to dial up the Airport Director.

This is indication that the social-media-MLA of Benaulim constituency was doing it to for the cameras and had no intention of rectifying the wrong. In fact, the Traffic police should book Venzy Viegas for disrupting the flow of traffic by parking his car on a public road and that too not even beyond the shoulders. If he is ignorant, he should read the traffic rules and regulations to understand that only emergency vehicles are permitted to park on the road to attend and save lives. Very soon it is going to be a year since Benaulim constituents gave a mandate to Venzy Viegas as a legislator. In that time, he has made them look like fools.

He has conducted numerous inspections with no results. We have not seen any developments. People continue to suffer from power and water woes. Government does not even seem to give a damn about his hollowing, but Benaulim MLA continues to entertain his constituents with ridiculous, impractical and nonsensical videos on social media.