"Unmasking the Myth: Monserrate Punctures the Parrikar Legacy Balloon" – By Nisser Dias

In the realm of Goa's political theatre, Atanasio Babush Monserrate has boldly lifted the veil on the purported legacy of the late Manohar Parrikar, and he's not alone in his revelations. Joined by Govind Gaude, both esteemed ministers in the BJP government, they've taken it upon themselves to spill the beans on the corruption allegations surrounding Parrikar's pet projects, the smart city and the Atul Sethu bridge respectively.

As I've been an unabashed critic of the late Manohar Parrikar since time immemorial, bemoaning his 'know-it-all' demeanour, arrogant disposition, and autocratic modus operandi, I find myself nodding in agreement with these recent exposés. The eulogies about Parrikar's legacy and the grand ‘Memorial’ (Samadhi) erected by the BJP-led government under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant have left me scratching my head.

What legacy are we referring to exactly?
From anointing to appointing the first non-Goan as Chief Minister, a curious choice in a state deeply proud of its 'Goenkarponn', to orchestrating the physical removal of opposition MLAs by disguising police officers as 'Marshals' in the Assembly. Parrikar's actions hardly paint the picture of a legend. They rather expose a mind tainted by corruption and an insatiable hunger for power.

The supposedly 'intelligent' Parrikar, who somehow missed the memo on the importance of 'Good Friday' and attempted to cancel it as a public holiday, also conveniently scheduled the IFFI closing ceremony to coincide with the feast of St. Francis Xavier, showcasing a not-so-subtle touch of communal politics.

Let's not forget his attempts to scrap Gandhi Jayanti as a holiday, hand over government schools to an RSS trust, and produce a documentary on the Inquisition to be included in history books for students – a series of decisions that reflect a rather biased and divisive agenda.

Citizens daring to criticize his regime were not spared. From orchestrated raids on respected figures like Dr. Francisco Colaco and businessman Datta Naik during 2002-2004, to the unresolved case of a school rape victim, Parrikar's tenure was far from a utopia.
Even in 2012, after his return to power, hooligans and goons were reportedly let loose on activists discussing the ill-effects of illegal mining in Margao, showcasing a darker side to the U-turn Chief Minister's rule.

Parrikar's promise to evict casinos from the Mandovi River morphed into a U-turn, with their numbers multiplying. The assurance that Mopa airport would mainly handle cargo now appears to be a distant dream, as Dabolim faces the threat of losing passenger flights.

As Opposition leader, Parrikar demanded the return of vast tracts of Goa's land held by the Navy and army, but as Defence Minister, he conveniently overlooked this opportunity. His plan to organize a defence expo at the Betul-Naqueri plateau raised concerns that it might end up as a gift to the armed forces.

The late Chief Minister's legacy, if we can call it that, paints a picture of a highly manipulative, vindictive, arrogant, and communal leader. While there's a societal norm to refrain from speaking ill of the departed, history records the misdeeds of cruel dictators, and Parrikar, in his own league, deserves scrutiny.

Supporters highlight the bridges built during his tenure as Chief Minister as a testament to his development legacy. However, these are merely infrastructural upgrades. Where is the evidence of human development? Bribes persist, citizens navigate multiple visits to government offices for basic services, and files move at a glacial pace. Is this progress?

Back in June 2016, I wrote an article titled "Manohar Parrikar Failed Panjim for Two Decades as its MLA." It pointed out the capital city's woes, submerged after a one-hour shower, and blamed Parrikar for neglecting Panjim during his 20-year stint as MLA.
Monserrate, as Revenue minister and Panjim MLA, seems to be onto something when he attributes the current mess in the capital city to Parrikar's legacy and raises questions about corruption during the late Chief Minister's tenure.

At the same time, I am not exonerating Monserrate of his sins of commission and omission in public life as a politician. He too has skeletons in his closet.

However it's time to re-evaluate the Manohar Parrikar myth, for sometimes, the truth reveals itself in unexpected outbursts.

Civil Servants Needed, Not Civil Serpents -- By Nisser Dias

In the realm of governance, there's a prevalent adage that speaks volumes: "Government servants serve those who pay their bribes but not who pay their salaries."

This adage recently echoed starkly in the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court's reprimand of Goa's top bureaucrats, Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel (IAS), and Director General of Police Jaspal Singh (IPS), regarding ongoing illegal sand mining. Despite filing affidavits promising to halt this activity, both officials received a scathing assessment from Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki S A Menezes, who deemed these affidavits as mere paper assurances.

Such disregard for legally binding documents by top-ranking officers signifies a failure to uphold the law they're sworn to enforce. Their actions not only undermine the sanctity of their affidavits but also erode the public's trust in the administration they lead.

In my view, the High Court's leniency towards these officials seems a tad excessive, especially considering their complicity in allowing illegal sand mining—a mere glimpse into a larger web of illicit activities thriving under their watch. Despite court orders, including those from the Supreme Court, government authorities seem complacent, turning a blind eye to these issues.

It's distressing when the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police treat the High Court's directives as inconsequential, blatantly refusing to act on their sworn commitments. This behavior contradicts the expectation set by India's first Deputy Prime Minister, Vallabhai Patel, who envisioned IAS officers as individuals of integrity, boldness, and the willingness to confront elected representatives in power. Today, however, such assertiveness is deemed unacceptable by political leaders, as they often foster illegality, with bureaucrats turning into enablers rather than upholders of justice.

The positions of Chief Secretary and Director General of Police hold immense responsibility—they serve as the pillars of administrative functioning and law enforcement. Yet, the allure of personal gain through illegal acts, political favoritism, and post-retirement benefits has corroded the morals and ethics expected from these high-ranking officials.

One can only imagine the plight of the common citizen seeking justice or relief from these officers who casually disregard the directives of the High Court. It's evident that the taxpayer, the backbone of their hefty salaries, is inconsequential to them, warranting the perceived leniency from the court.

Furthermore, the dismissive attitude of these top-tier officers reflects the pervasive culture of corruption, apathy, and defiance trickling down to lower levels of the bureaucratic hierarchy. The Justices' assertion that the insolence of these officials is merely the "tip of the iceberg" resonates profoundly.

These arrogant officials operate under the misguided belief that their actions are beyond reproach. Thankfully, our judicial system stands as a beacon of accountability amid such challenges.

In conclusion, it's imperative for bureaucrats and government officers to recognize their role as civil servants of the people, not as self-serving entities or rather civil serpents.

Rehabilitate the slum dwellers in your properties, Mr. Chief minister. -- By Nisser Dias

Zuarinagar slums on Comunidade land

All along we all knew without a shadow of a doubt that the ministers in successive governments in Goa were out to fill their own pockets in the name of development. With honey in their mouth, they win the election and then sting us with their tail. After scavenging even, the innards of Goa for decades, the non-Goan chief minister of Goa Pramod Sawant and his partner in crime Panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho have now set their sights on Comunidade land.

Under the guise of regularization of illegal construction, these two cabinet vultures now want to forage the age-old institution set up by the erstwhile Portuguese. To appease the migrants for their votes for 2024 general elections, Mauvin Godinho wants their patronage and thus in a hurry to regularize lakhs of square meters of Goan Comunidade land for the ‘Bhumiputras’. And ‘Bhumiputra’ chief minister of Goa Sawant is only too happy to bring in non-Goans like himself and sell the state to achieve what the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) could not.

That the ‘Ghatti’ chief minister of Goa is completely a turn-coat is very much evident because, in January this year Jan 18, 2023), while speaking in the Assembly on ‘Goa Regularization of Unauthorised Construction (Amendment) Bill had said that illegal houses in government and Comunidade land will be demolished. 10 months later the same man is talking about rectifying the Comunidade Code to regularize illegal houses. Nowhere in the Regularization of Unauthorised Construction (Amendment) Bill 2023 passed by the Assembly does Comunidade land features, simply because Comunidade is governed by its Code.

For the knowledge of the ‘bhumiputra’ chief minister of Goa, the Code of Comunidade was codified by the erstwhile Portuguese regime in 1904 and then in 1933. The final notified code legislative diploma 2070 was approved on April 15, 1961. This last code is in force and the current management and administration of Comunidades happen based on this code.

Bhumiputra CM of Goa

Comunidades are autonomous village level bodies envisaged by the Code of Comunidade in force and the government only provides administrative guidance at the expense of the Comunidades. Hence the government has no power to legalise illegal constructions existing on Comunidade land as the Comunidade bodies are the absolute owners of the land.

Rectification of Comunidade Code is not at all in the interest of Goa and Goans but only to give a backdoor entry to ‘ghattis’ illegally squatting on its land. In January 2021 too, the BJP government tried a similar tactic to regularize illegal squatters but had to withdraw it because of stiff opposition from Goans. Goans have also not forgotten that Pramod Sawant being a non-Goan tried to snatch his landlord’s land using Goa, Daman and Diu Mundkars (Protection from Eviction) Act, 1975, but finally withdrew his case.

The non-Goan chief minister of Goa failed in his attempts to grab land from the ‘bhatkar’, but now he wants to allow other non-Goans to be owners of lakhs and lakhs of sq. mts. of Comunidade land. Pramod Sawant is out to destroy Goa and make Goans alien in their land. Go home! Quit Goa! Pramod Sawant.

The chief minister talks about courts being burdened with civil cases for eviction and demolition prayers by Comunidade executive bodies and thinks that rectifying the Comunidade Code and regularizing illegal construction will solve the matter.

Justice A S Oka of Bombay High Court while rejecting the Maharashtra Government plea, seeking to implement a policy to regularise illegal structures across the state had observed that the proposed regularisation policy will lead to increased litigation by creating so many loopholes for people to argue. He further stated that when these structures undergo redevelopment, they will also be eligible for more construction rights.

In yet another case a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni, expressed “grave doubts” over the policy of the state government “which rewards the encroachers of the public land by a free of cost accommodation.” “In our opinion, such policies qua the Government land not only violate the principles of equality but certainly falls foul of the doctrine of public trust,” the bench had observed. The same justices also stated, “At the outset, we may observe that the petitioners who have encroached cannot elevate their protection to such an extent that such slum dwellers have to be rehabilitated either on the same land or be provided a permanent alternate accommodation within the vicinity.”

But in Goa, Goans feel the solution of regularization of these illegal migrants is simple, the ‘Bhumiputra chief minister Pramod Sawant (nicknamed Property Sawant) and

Mauvin Godinho saviour of migrants

Panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho should rehabilitate all the migrants in the large tract of properties and lands they have bought in Goa under various benami names. Interestingly a day after the ambitious statement, Sawant must have felt the tremors under his feet and is now trying to get out of the sticky situation by claiming that constructions in slums will not be regularized but of Goans who have built illegally in Comunidade. This ‘ghatti’ CM of Goa thinks he can fool us but we can see through and through his intention, especially because he made the statement while addressing the migrants alongside with Mauvin Godinho - the saviour of the migrant squatters on Comunidade land.