Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn laid to rest with the arrest of Maclon - By Nisser Dias

Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn was finally laid to rest with the arrest of Maclon Fernandes, who made a statement to the entire Goan community all over the globe by selling mangoes and Goan produce from his swanky Skoda car at the Ponda circle.

In bad times

Those in power could not simply digest the growing publicity this youth was generating for himself by selling Goan produce and spreading a message urging the wayward, unemployed youth to be self-employed. The ‘dalal’ from Fatorda used many tricks to stop Maclon from selling his agricultural produce, but at every turn his well wishers stood by him, sending clear message that the general public will not take it lying down if the civic body tries to stop this Goan youth.

In good times

Finally the police bowed down to the dictat of their handler on Sunday (8^th July 2018) seized Maclon car with goods and even his cellphone, The purpose for which Fatorda police station was commissioned was fulfilled by a stooge of a police inspector Navlesh Desai. This spineless disgraceful of a police officer has failed to realize that his salary is being paid from the earnings of these small timers and not the politicians.

It is ironical that the dalal was instrumental is selling land in Curtorim to a non-Goan, but Maclon being the son of the soil of that village was arrested in Fatorda for selling fruits that are grown and harvested in Goa.While on the topic of non-Goans, the dalal is promoting non-Goans and the tagline of Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn is just an eyewash. The whole-sale fish market is being run by a non-Goan, vegetable and fruit sheds in Margao are occupied by non-Goans, beef and mutton stalls are allotted to non-Goans, fish cutters are non-Goans and slowly non-Goans are taking over the selling of fish in the renovated fish shed. All are situated in Fatorda but one Goan selling fruits at Fatorda in a private was arrested for allegedly causing nuisance for traffic, while hundreds of ‘ghattis’ are doing illegal business on carts and even with rickshaws.

Social activists showing solidarity with Maclon when the
harassement started before his arrest by Fatorda police.

It could also be that Maclon’s message of urging youth to be gainfully self-employed was piercing the conscious of the strongman as his own source of income is shrouded in secrecy.

Secondly in his younger days his used to use goons to settle scores with his rivals in college and now using the men-in-uniform to do the same. But the coward that the dalal is cannot take on people of his stature and resorted to targeting a youth whose parents are abroad and he lives all by himself in Goa and has no political backing and to humiliate him got him arrested thereby blackening the clean police record.

Nisser Dias

However the move did boomerang against the dalal when plenty of people rushed to the police station in support of the youth and under pressure from the public the police had to release Maclon’s cellphone and car.

In conclusion while Maclon has come out as a hero because every Goan in each and every nook and corner of world has read and heard about  him selling mangoes and spreading a message of self-employment, every Goan all over the world who is responsible for using police to stop selling Goan produce in his iconic Skoda car.

Agriculture minister Vijay Sardessai fails to enforce ban on Styrofoam basket in wholesale basket. – By Nisser Dias.

Two days of heavy rains in Goa and lop-sided, un-planned setting-up of infrastructure by politicians in this lovely state gets exposed. The water gets on to the highways and roads, streets and lanes, shops and houses. Worst of all shit and garbage also floats in these waters.

Brillant perception of development!!
CM Parrikar's smart city under
water

Nevertheless politicians of every hue and qualifications will not miss an opportunity to talk about planned development – a term (planned) that they do not understand or want to understand as they like the chaos since it opens up new avenues for the ministers to rake in gratification to line their accounts.

Town and Country Planning minister Vijay Sardessai – a man who coined the slogan ‘Goem, Goemkar and Goenkarponn’. People who know have given a fitting connotation or rather a subtext to his slogan.

Large parts of his constituency also got submerged under monsoon showers and he has been the MLA only for two terms hence all the blame cannot be pasted on him but he could have taken corrective measures.

Banned styrofoam baskets floating in agricultural land at
wholesale market in Margao

However he is man in a hurry to get as much work (development) done in his constituency and these days he is boasting of his ‘Dubai market’ (renovated fish shed in SGPDA market in Margao).

But as he basks in his own laurels, fields and catchment areas – partly in his constituency are littered in styrofoam baskets. With these catchment areas filled with water these pollution baskets are floating far and wide.

Interestingly, while he has banned the use of Styrofoam baskets in his ‘Dubai market’ he is conveniently allowing the same to be used in large quantities at the wholesale market which is controlled by his non-Goan friend.

While Goan trawler owners have repeatedly appealed their willingness to run the wholesale market other than a non-Goan, these requests have fallen on deaf ears for obvious reasons. Hail ‘Goem, Goemkar and Goenkarponn’.

Casually dumped in low-lying area at wholesale market

Now this non-Goan procures frozen fish from the east coast in India during monsoons and otherwise in Styrofoam basket even though they are banned in Goa and discards them in the river sal and adjoining low-lying areas thereby polluting it.

Vijay Sardessai also holds the agriculture portfolio but seems to least interested in maintaining our low-lying areas or catchment areas which are all part of the ecology thereby creating the right balance for agriculture. As an agriculture minister Vijay should have enforced or implemented the ban of use of Styrofoam baskets at the wholesale markets but he seems to be choosy where he can impose and relaz the ban.

Finally what can be said of a man who has built his personal bungalow on an agricultural bund, it speaks volumes of the agriculture minister.

Chief minister’s Manohar Parrikar’s idea of development of Goa or Panjim stand exposed for all to see. 12 hours of rain and the entire capital city was submerged.

False promises and garbage floats in St. Inez creek

He cannot shirk away from responsibility as he has represented the capital city since 1994 and been the chief ministers for so many years. In 2018 the world has see what 12 hours of rains done to the city. It is  indeed a shame for all Goans that a constituency represented by highly educated man goes under water within hours of rain – something that had happened prior to his elections or after he took over.

His un-planned development without taking views, suggestions or recommendation of Goan experts has dealt Panjim a severe blow but this man is

so incorrigible that he will always point fingers at others. Manohar Parrikar you have miserably failed to not only develop your constituency but even the drainage network of Panjim.