World is the change you make

Bollywood an example of Nehru-Gandhi's India

2010-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

After watching the movie My Name is Khan, in the Big Cinema theater here, I was thinking of Bollywood, how its movies, brings talent and creativity of various artists irrespective of their caste or creed, an living phenomenon that shows a united and true democracy of our country, the same foundation and concept our Country was built on for, it would be unique where all are treated equally irrespective of their background,

to quench my thoughts, I came across this speech of Nehru Delivered in Allahabad court in 1921-22,

some of the excerpts:

Nehru-in Allahabad court-

"Less than ten years ago, I returned from England after a lengthy stay there, I had passed through the usual course of public school and university. I had imbibed most of the prejudices of Harrow and Cambridge, and in my likes and dislikes I was perhaps more an Englishman than an Indian. I looked upon the world almost from an Englishman's standpoint. And so I returned to India as much prejudiced in favour of England and the English as it was possible for an Indian to be."........

"To-day, ten years later, I stand here in the dock charged with two offences and with a third hovering in the background-an ex-convict who has been to jail once already for a political offence, and a rebel against the present system of government in India. That is the change which the years have wrought in me. It is not necessary for me to recite the reasons for this change. Every Indian knows them; every Indian has felt them and has hung his head in shame for them. And if he has retained a spark of the old fire in him, he has taken a solemn pledge to strive unceasingly for India's freedom, so that his countrymen may never again be subjected to the miseries and humiliations that are the lot of a subject people.

To-day sedition against the present government in India has become the creed of the Indian people, preach and practise disaffection against the evil which it represents has become their chief occupationI have said many hard things about the British Government. For one thing, however, I must offer it my grateful thanks. It has given us a chance of fighting in this most glorious of struggles. Surely few peoples have had such an opportunity given them. And the greater our suffereing, the more difficult the tests we have to pass, the more splendid will be the future of India. India has not survived through thousandes of years to go down now. India has not sent her noblest and best twenty five thousands of her sons, to the jail to give up the struggle. India's future is assured. Some of us, men and women of little faith, doubt and hesitate occasionally, but those who have vision can almost see the glory that will be India's. I marvel at my good fortune.

To serve India in the battle of freedom is honour enough. To serve her under a leader like Mahatma Gandhi is doubly fortune. But to suffer for the dear country! What greater good fortune could befall an Indian, unless it is death or the full realisation of our gloious dream?"

Mother- Wonderful Article

2009-10-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

GROUND ZERO PATRIOTS

2009-08-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Source: Tehelka Coverpage on the eve of 62nd Indian Independence Day

Raise High the Roof Beams

An adivasi woman takes on India’s largest steel plant. A doctor leads thousands of farmers in their fight for a river. A young urbanite is jailed as she tries to secure rights for forest communities. As India turns 62, TEHELKA profiles those who are fighting to keep its democra

cy alive

EVEN THE most cynical of generations wonder: why did giants once roam the world, when dwarves now surround us? How is it that those who built our nation found time for more than the task of waking millions, for more than the intricate clockwork of statecraft? When did they sit down long enough to forge new ways of compassion, of courage, of living? To write enormous tracts, translate the ancients? What were they, to use the easy parlance of hallucinogens, on?

It has been 62 years after the giants won us a country and built the political scaffolding to make it kinder, more just. But greed and cruelty are still part of our public lives. When people stand teetering on the edge, we carelessly push. When the path of least resistance runs over the homes, fields and forests of others, we charge on. It would seem like the gods have departed, leaving behind only the vulnerable and the revelers.

But the giants still live on in odd corners. When novelist and sociologist Susan Visvanathan visited the fishworkers of Kerala, a fisherman asked her, “Thakazhy Sivasankara Pillai made millions out of his novel [Chemeen] on the life of fisherpeople. Are you also going to do the same? I wake up at two in the morning and I get nothing.”

Magline and Peter Thayil, two leaders of the fishworkers’ movement are just as resistant to mythologising. Regardless of their Biblical names, the Jesus-invoking sea, the romance of it all, they are people who wake up at two in the morning and get on with their lives’ work. They protect the livelihoods of lakhs of people by ensuring that we and our trawlers don’t eat the oceans out of fish, that no one buys and sells the sea in the fine mesh of arcane contracts.

Elsewhere, others are jailed and assaulted for protecting what ought to belong to the commons, not shredded into toothpicks. A young doctor in Karnataka joins thousands of farmers and the urban poor in a decade-long political struggle. A woman in Assam becomes the first in her village to go to college but cannot forget the fear caused by the soldiers who roam her lands with impunity. A young man in Orissa realises that the dozens of struggles across the state need to come together and he is the one to do it. A young adivasi woman in Jharkhand comes to the same realisation. She once ran a tea-shop and is now a journalist, but like the Bhakti poet Akka Mahadevi, she must wander from village to village awakening her people to the approaching fangs of a steel empire. Another empire poisons a whole city, thousands die, and decades later a man, battles the false memories and absurd lies that seek to hide the stillseeping poison.

The fate that awaits these strange, sleepless beings is not — unlike in the case of the giants who built India — the crowns and sceptres of a grateful nation. We are instead more likely to be enraged. If they must be misguided, we argue, let them do it without discomfiting us, depriving us of the soft light and canned music we are used to. Inevitably we call them traitors for warring against the nation.

Even when we are sympathetic to their tireless work, their ambitions seem against the natural order of things — because the natural order of things are made for us — in the same way that Indians claiming the right to independence must have seemed preposterous to the British.

We have hard work ahead, warned Nehru in the midnight hour. Sure, most of us responded, and went off whistling and thinking of lunch. But luckily, in the place of the giants who are gone, others have sprung, prepared to sleep on railway platforms and footpaths, to have their young bodies broken from lathis, their voices hoarse from shouting — all to preserve democracy, to protect us from ourselves.

This week TEHELKA meets some of these giants from across the nation. They — like Richard Wilbur’s prophet — are “madeyed from stating the obvious” but refuse to blink. And someday in the future someone will ask: did they really exist? Were they as tall as they seem? And we can answer, yes.

NISHA SUSAN

Goan Political Tragicomedy

2009-08-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Source: Peter Alexander- 3 Aug Herald

It is time for the people to draw the curtain on the tragicomedy our politicians have made of governance, says PETER FERNANDES

Most Goans are crazy about tiatr. Goans have enjoyed good shows for over a century, some tragic, many others depicting social evils combined with religious insight to bring change in society, and a few others purely comic. From the first-ever tiatr in history – ‘Italian Bhurgo’ by Lucasinho Ribeiro, staged in Mumbai on 17 April 1892 – until today, this form of theatre, with several acts entwined with songs backed by a live band, continues to enthrall and enlighten Goan society. Over this period, renowned artists walked the stage and made their mark in Goa and elsewhere in the world through their notable efforts to entertain our hearts and minds. We salute them with pride and gratitude. They have left us a rich legacy to emulate in order to enrich our society with good values, and to reach higher goals of sublime living. Our tiatr reflects the social, political and religious life of society; and, very often, it is a protest against the wrong in society, which is projected through the songs, comedy and drama. Contemporary artists continue the heritage today, with enthusiasm and pride, receiving little or no support from our government.

Incredibly, we see our politicians nowadays enacting such living drama for all to view with disdain and disgust. These public servants conduct their lives in a deplorable manner. Nonetheless, this melodrama encompasses the nature of tragicomedy. Dayanand Narvekar did not realise that the camera was on when he delivered with great audacity his unscripted discourse on corruption. This subject “Corruption” is the creation of our leaders, and, as good actors and teachers, they want to marinate our society completely. I hope Narvekar is never afflicted with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Our memories are still fresh about his unbecoming behavior, as he faced allegations of sexual harassment, cheating, forgery, corruption and misappropriation of funds. Nevertheless, we have to commend Narvekar for loudly crying out his displeasure over the treatment he received from government bureaucrats, through which he exposed the level of corruption and the plight of the common man. The present government takes pride in being a government for aam admi. This is a tragicomedy, for in reality they have woven a massive web of corruption to strangle citizens to death.

Before Narvekar lost his cabinet berth as Minister of Finance, he seemed to have been portraying a similar drama with MLAs and other ministers. Mickky Pacheo was bent on stripping Narvekar of the finance portfolio not long ago, for having treated him with similar contempt, which Narvekar abhors at the present juncture. This explains the dynamic of our government, and the reason why every MLA is vying for a ministerial berth in the ruling administration. Every minister looks out for his own interest, and the other MLAs keep constant watch to see if something might fall from the minister’s plate.
The people of Goa should keep in mind that our government has no vision for our Goa. Our leaders are like weathercocks – they easily change their direction according to the weather. Churchill Alemao wants to have three bridges in his constituency, since he holds the PWD portfolio. As long as he is the PWD Minister, the rest of Goa must watch and pay taxes to fulfill his selfish dreams for Navelim. How did Goa fall into the hands of such corrupt leaders? For how long will this drama unfold? And, when will Goans say, “Enough”?

On the floor of the Assembly, Narvekar challenged the PWD minister for granting permits for construction along the NH17, where use of the land was frozen for the express purpose of expanding the highway. Narvekar is determined to fight over this matter, even in the courts. Churchill first denied the violation and then tried to justify it by citing the state of Kerala, which has done like projects under similar circumstances. How can the Chief Minister tolerate such action from his ministers?

But I am amused and entertained by the whole business. I just want to recall, for the sake of the audience, the opening scene of this drama. Speaking at Alemao’s birthday celebrations, Narvekar told Churchill, “I may be older than you as far as experience is concerned, but I am looking at you. This is the time when the state is going down the drain. Someone has to stand up. You have the capacity, the urge and the interest to serve the people and save the state. People like me will be with you in this mission.” He further pointed out that Churchill is not just the leader of South Goa, but he is being worshipped even in the North. “Go ahead with your political ambitions, we are with you. You are like my family member,” he said. Saying that the people of Goa want Churchill to play a long innings in politics, Narvekar said that health should not be a problem for the PWD Minister, stating, “People of Goa want you, not just your knee; all your parts can be replaced for the sake of Goans.”

Luizinho Faleiro, who dominated Goan politics for almost three decades, now sits on a huge booty, and is the highest taxpayer in the state of Goa. It is a mystery, and yet a tragicomedy for Goans to contemplate. How could an elected leader, with a meagre salary, amass such a huge amount of wealth? Leaders are put in office to empower the people, and to improve the lives of the citizens. On the contrary, our politicians have secured better lives for themselves alone, and have disenfranchised gullible people. This process continues, and has reached to such an extent that even MLAs cannot breathe easily now. Whatever may be Narvekar’s past, his statement in the Assembly came as a breath of fresh air. No MLA or minister in the past dared to make such a subversive statement that would shake the house to its very foundations.
Corruption is a structural sin which systematically destroys society. It creates a situation where people cannot do otherwise but sin. When people cry, their tears reach heaven. Our Father hears the cry of the oppressed! Without doubt, history has taught us many valuable lessons on this subject. The natural reaction of those in such a situation is to subvert the structure. People of Goa, do not brush aside or disregard the consequences of this drama played out by our politicos.

Before entering the election booth, reflect wisely on the detrimental results this tragicomedy has given us. Recognise, and own up to the reality, that by our foolishness over many years, Goan society has been violated with transgressions beyond number. To you, my countrymen, I say that we can counteract this widespread crime of corruption, for we know its face, and we hear its voice. No sadder lesson would there be in our history than this: that by our weakness, inaction and indifference we allowed our power as citizens to remain in the hands of public officials who would breach their positions of trust by their depravity and dishonesty. Our opposition to them is our obligation to all generations!

Unfortunately, we have lived under this sinful structure of corruption because we let the enemy come through the gates. No more! The power of the people shall rise up, and bring the curtain down on the tragicomedy that plays out before us. We will drive the self-serving imposters off the stage, show them the exit, and close the gates. This show must end!

Against Corruption: Story of Hope with Bangalore Police

2009-07-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Following is an email recieved by me, it shows that when a citizen wants to fight against a corrupt system, there will be always good civil servants who would support them.....

Mail thread:

Dear Friends,

When I narrated the incident below to a close friend over lunch earlier this
week, he suggested that I should pen this down in an email and circulate it to as many friends in Bangalore as possible. So here goes an interesting
experience of interacting with an IPS officer, who made me see a Glimmer of Hope, amidst the corruption that encompasses, so many of our public services ( it is about 7 - 9 mins reading time...).

It was Friday 5th June, at about 3 pm I drove my Ford Ikon car into 80 feet road at Indira Nagar in Bangalore, wanting to reach on time for my 3.30 pm meeting with a client. As I entered the wide road I saw a posse of Traffic Constables who stopped my car on the side and asked me to produce my car documents to the Traffic Sub Inspector(SI) who was standing on the footpath. I walked upto the SI and displayed my Driving Licence, to which he told me to bring my Car Insurance certificate and also my Emission Certificate for the car. I walked back to my car and realised that I had not carried either of the documents in my car and was cursing myself for such a slip. I came back to the SI and told him that I did not have my document and what was to be done. The SI had a half smile & told me that the fine for not carrying both these documents was Rs 600/- however I could pay him Rs 300/-. I removed my wallet and told the SI that I would pay the amount and want a receipt for the same, to which he suddenly grew stern and told me that in which case the fine was Rs 1,100/-. I paid the fine of Rs 1,100/- and took the receipt, wondering why the fine had suddenly escalated just because I wanted a receipt instead of paying the Rs 300 bribe which the SI had asked.

After my client meeting as I was driving back, I was annoyed at myself for not carrying the documents and I was angry that at an officer at an SI level was blatantly seeking a bribe. I decided that I should do something about it and as soon as I reached my Home Office, I logged on to the net and found out that the Traffic Police of Bangalore has a website, which gives details of the fines chargeable , it also provides for logging complaints and gave the email ids of the Asst Commissioner of Police for the traffic division. At about 7 pm that evening I wrote an email to the email id of the ACP, narrating the incident of the afternoon and lodging a formal complaint in the email. I also found out the website of Lok Ayukta of Karnataka and marked a cc of the same email to the email id's given on the Lok Ayukta's website. By about 7.30pm I had done the
needful, and I was happy with myself that what I preach in my Leadership Workshops wrt Values, I had practised to a large extent (Paying the fine instead of paying the bribe and reporting the bribe demand to the best of my ability). I thought the chapter ended there, little realising that I would be having an indeed amazing and pleasant experience on this whole incident in the hours & days to come.

On Saturday 7th June(the next day) at about 2 pm, I logged into my Home Office and checked my email and lo behold, I had 3 emails sent to me by the ACP to who I had written the complaint email the previous day.. The first one, informed me that I had done the right thing by paying the fine and not the bribe, the second email asked to give my complaint in writing and fax it to the ACP, so that action can be taken on the SI and the 3rd email asked me to give the ACP a call
on his office no or his cell no, so that he could accelerate the action to be taken on the erring SI. I promptly put my complaint in a letter and sent a scanned copy through the email to the ACP.

On Sunday, 8th June in the morning I checked my email and I had an email from the ACP stating that the erring SI had been suspended from services and that I must give the ACP a call to work out the next formalities. I called the ACP (till now I did not know the name of this ACP) who answered my call on the Sunday. During my phone conversation he introduced himself as ACP Pravin Sood, and thanked me for doing what I did wrt not paying the bribe and also escalating the matter in writing, he explained that many Bangalore citizens escalate such cases to him but then back down when asked to give the complaint in writing. He apologised to me (yes - he said "I am sorry for what you faced with this SI who harassed you, because he did not have any business stopping your to check your documents if you had not done any traffic violation") and he invited me over to Tea to his office at a time convenient to me. After I kept the phone down, I could not believe that here was a case where within 48 hours of an incident of seeking bribe, the erring office was suspended. I decided that I must meet in person ACP Pravin Sood, speaking with who for 10 minutes had changed a few paradigms in my mind about Public Services Officers. Since I was travelling the next few days, I sought time with him on 15th June at 4.30 pm at his office. I reached ACP Sood's office a little early (at 4.10 pm) and was pleasantly surprised when I was ushered into his office at 4.15 pm, he asked me to sit as he was completing a meeting with another delegation. At sharp 4.30 pm he ended his previous meeting and turned to me and spent the next 20 minutes discussing with me several aspects of Traffic Policing in Bangalore and offered me a cup of tea (Many corporate clients I visit, do not see me on time
and do not ask me for a cup of tea, so what ACP Sood was doing was indeed better than many corporate folks I have met!). Right through the conversation, he was courteous, frank and completely articulate on his thoughts and ideas. He reiterated that there would be no repercussions on me for giving the complaint in writing, and that I may have to make one appearance in person when the internal enquiry is done, he also offered that instead of me having to come to the Police headquarters to give the statement, he could send one of his officers to my residence to take my statement if I so wish. When I was leaving ACP Sood's office, I told him "Over the years many of my friends and cousins have urged me to migrate and settle in
one of the western countries, but I have consciously chosen to stay back in India by my choice - when I have interactions like the one I had with you ACP Sood, I am happy that I made the choice to stay back in India". It was an impromptu comment, straight from my heart to which ACP Sood just smiled and shook my hand.

When I was walking out of ACP Sood's office, I felt reassured that if we have officers like ACP Pravin Sood in our country, there is a Glimmer of Hope, against corruption, provided, we as citizens have the courage to say NO to Bribes and have the inclination to report cases of Bribe (I am no major RTI or Social activist, yet I found all the info I needed on the web, sitting in my
Home Office). Change begins with me, I can make a difference !
--
Regards,
Shabbir Merchant
Chief Value Creator
Valulead Consulting
Bangalore
shabbir@...
________________________________

Performance of Goan MPs -Published Version

2009-04-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Article Published in Herald Newspaper on 17 Apr 2009.

Unedited version

Thanks all for the feedback and support,

Jai Hind,
Navendu Shirali

How well have our Goan MPs & MLAs Performed?

2009-04-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Their Unstarred Questions, Debates, MPLADS, and Goa’s fragile future

Do you remember any speech or debate raised by our 3 elected leaders in the Lok Sabha (Shri Shripad Naik, Shri Francisco Sardinha, and Shri Churchill Alemao) in the last 5 years?

Out of 332 sittings in 14^th Lok Sabha, all covered by mainstream news channels, any one issue or any one intellectual speech that positioned issues of Goa or India? Do we remember that in the last 5 years, which had 1738 hours 45 minutes on actual sittings and 423 hours wasted due to disruptions and adjournments, not one moment did we hear or see any of our 3 leaders even positioning their intellectual capital or acumen which in a way represents us. Otherwise flamboyant speakers in Goa, seem invisible in Delhi.

The 14^th Lok Sabha had several opportunities for our leaders to give direction to the future of our country, whether it is the5 Budget Sessions, Indo US Nuclear Agreement, 5 Railway Budgets, The Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, National Rural Health Mission, Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan, etc. So many chances came and gone, Goan electoral did not position their thought leadership nor expresses our feelings and insecurities.

Interesting Unstarred Questions raised by these 2 leaders:

Out of the 332 sittings sessions in the 14^th Lok Sabha and 76,360 unstarred questions that can be asked (230 unstarred question asked per session), the number of unstarred questions asked by the North Goa MP Shri Shripad Naik were 106 and South Goa MP were 14! Shri Sardinha joined the Lok Sabha in Nov 2007, but in over 2 years he asked mere 14 unstarred questions. Out of all the daily issues that we are suffering from at Central and State level whether it is drop in Tourism, Illegal Mining, Poor Infrastructure, Drug Trafficking, Unemployment, etc. all that we expected from our leaders is to bring these national problems on to the table. To expect them to solve these problems is a distant hope. Something that will evangelize when the new generation steps in to clean the system.

Analysis on the type of Unstarred Questions show striking difference in the 2 leaders, Shri Shripad Naik focus is purely on broad central issues and occasional questions on Goa such as trains stopping at Goa. Where as Shri Sardinha has been myopic on questions on Marmugoa, some even as microscopic on ‘when the next telephone directory is going to be released’!

I mean out of all the issues that Goa and India is trying to survive in. There emerges a Unstarred question on when the next Telephone directory is going to be published. Surprisingly there is a reason to ask as, the Telephone directory has not been published for 3 years!

Debates

From Nov 2007, Shri Sardinha participated in 7 debates; where as Shripad Naik participated in 18 debates since 2004. The least we can expect with from our leaders is to realize the opportunity and participate in debates that shape the future of country.

Some interesting debates discussed by our 2 MPs-

On 30-11-2006, Shri Shripad Naik had raised the debate on dam being built by Karnataka Government on river Mandovi. He said that “The Government of Karnataka, without the permission of the Central Government and the Central Water Board, is diverting the water from Mahadai Basin constructing the Kalsa, Bhandara canals. Diverting 7.56 TMC of water will have negative effect on Goan day-to-day life”.

But this debate did not go on, nor did it get the prioritization by the Center. Why is that this Problem of diversion of Mandovi not yet addressed, why did not become a national debate followed by immediate result? Today’s new Goa, has adapted to this helpless system of failed governance by taking its on issues through peoples movement. So Mandovi Diversion is one more thing for the people of Goa to solve as present Goan politicians only react after peoples movement. We are grateful to the efforts of Mahadei Bachao Abhiyan and its crusaders such as Shri Rajendra Kerkar for their relentless pursuit for justice.

Only one debate worth mentioning raised by Shri Sardinha, was the issue of survey work for upgradation of National Highway No. 17. Out of 7 Debates raised by Shri Sardinha, one interesting debate raised was when he Reported attack on the Governor of Goa in Nagaland in Lok Sabha, he went to comment the following “It is not the first time that they tried to kill Mr. Jamir. They tried to kill him three-four times earlier also but up till now, the God has kept him alive. They tried to kill him in 1990, 1991 and 1999. When he went last time on 25th September, 2000, the NSCN-IN Group went to the extent of issuing a fatwa against Shri Jamir’s social interaction and his entry into Nagaland. The silence of the State Government and the Central Government in the matter is sending shivers up the spine of the nationalist people of this country. It is not only an attack on Shri S.C. Jamir, but it is an attack on the Constitutional position that he holds. It is therefore an attack on the Constitution of India. I would like to draw the attention of the hon. Home Minister to see that Shri Jamir is safe in this country.”

Now I am surprised to see that Shri Sardinha is so deeply worried with safety of Shri Jamir, as compared to the safety of citizens of Goa or Indians who are being arrested, manhandled by the police when they protest illegal mining, when they raise their voices against illegal construction and injustice. Why does Shri Sardinha choose to prioritize & speak about insecurity of Shri Jamir more than the insecurity fellow Goans who vote for him? Why no debate raised on Goan sailors susceptible to Somalian pirates, SEZ, Indian Mujahedeen, Kandamahal, Drugs sold in Goa etc.

MPLADS

The Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) was introduced in 1993. Under this scheme a member of Lok Sabha has the choice to suggest to the Head of the District, development works to the tune of Rs. two crore per year, to be taken up in his/her constituency.

Following are the dates of installments when money has been received by these 2 constituencies. Data here represents as per constituency.

Following table shows how much money was sanctioned to our respective constituencies and how much they have used since 1993:

Why has Rs. 4.29 Crores not utilized in South Goa constituency and why has Rs. 1.65 Crores not utilized in North Goa constituency? Since 1993, Out of the total 54.98 crores sanctioned to these 2 constituencies where has Rs. 46.06 Crores been spent? And where do they plan to spend the remaining Rs 5.94 Crores?

Due to limitation of time, I am unable to investigate where this money has been spent. I would request each of the respected leaders to kindly share with “Aam Aadmi who will be Khaas Aadmi for this 1 week”, how, when and where this money has been spent.

Let’s not forget another member of Loks Sabha whom we elected in 2004.

As per the www.nocriminals.org, a website to stop criminals getting tickets for Lok Sabha, Goa featured in the top 3 with highest percentage% of elected MPs with criminal case. Goa ranked after Daman- Diu and Jharkhand as we elected one such member of out of the 2 seats (50%). As per Liberty Institute & Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF) initiative of Empowering India database Shri Churchill Alemao who has the following criminal cases against him:

IPC Section- 143, 144, 145, 147, 148 IPC

Description -unlawful assembly, unlawful assembly with deadly weapon, joining and continuing unlawful assembly, Rioting, Rioting with deadly weapons

BJP which promises itself to be a party with a difference had 21% of its elected representative with criminal cases compared to Congress which had 18% in the 14^th Lok Sabha, where as JMM topped the list with 100% of its elected representatives having criminal cases. Politicians are today seasoned to pass the buck. Every time you throw these statistics against them, and they cry foul play due to victimization in politics. So far no politician has yet been sentenced.

Both the constituencies are grappling with basic issues many of them not being addressed by the “knee-jerk” governance of the state. Many of these issues were not raised by the MPs though some of them came under Union or Concurrent List.

Some of the issues where Goa Government has shown knee jerk response:

There are 7 casinos operating, then there is people outcry then there is a raid, some licenses are questioned but legally still functional. If it was only about revenue to the Government, then it could have been raised purely through limiting to 2 licenses and keeping them for international bidding. Sometimes I wonder to what extent are we as society been stretched in the name of tourism, today its revenue from Casinos tomorrow the Government might start Legalizing Prostitution and charge service tax!
Deep pocketed Real estate builders are given permissions to build large housing projects targeting the affluent of metros. No initiative has been taken by the 2 respected leaders in the Lok Sabha to protect or preserve the state’s “unique identity and culture”. Why our Lok Sabha leaders did not protest nor stop the Goa Real Estate exhibitions held in New Delhi & Mumbai.
Mining around periphery of forests and villages were given permission. In the grass roots of Goa, the villagers have organized to protest, many of these stories are so remote that they are not covered in mass media. The outcries resulted in another knee jerk response, several stop work notices were issued but after months of silence work resumes in these mines. What has been the stand of these 2 leaders on this in the Lok Sabha, what activities and actions have they taken in New Delhi to solve these grievances.
Tourists are drugged and raped on the beaches, international and national media make an outcry. Goa is considered no more safe this responded by another knee jerk reaction, with arrests and suspensions, after a few months all back to business. Why was there no dedicated debate on this in the Lok Sabha? What institutions of national importance have been built or planned in Goa by these 2 leaders?
2008, A year of Shocking Increase in Criminal Cases

Murders	48.8 % Increase
Rape	50% Increase
Theft	21% Increase
Kidnapping	116% Increase

Eight years ago a ship abandoned on our Sinquerim coast, people make outcry, another knee jerk reaction called State Disaster but still no result. Isn’t Shipping and navigation on inland waterways, declared by Parliament by law to be national waterway, what have the 2 leaders done in Lok Sabha about this? Will some leader please dethrone this River Princess, or are we citizens of Goa to learn swimming and tug it away?
Mass Protests against Special Economic Zones and IT Tech Parks as conflicting with peoples demand. But no evident agitation shown in Lok Sabha against SEZ by the 2 leaders.
Garbage management is now a everyone’s problem, garbage being dumped illegally in villages, then there is citizen outcry, Government steps in, then there is a sudden controversial fire in Sonsodo, still no visible results. State Government is still no able to deliver any clear roadmap. Why haven’t 2 leaders tried getting more funds or taken ownership of any project using schemes like JNRUM to address garbage issue of Goa?
Poor Infrastructure and Transport System- Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited is still a loss making company. Paulo Travels and KSRTC are making more money than Kadamba. Roads are not repaired frequently and many of them damaged due to high volume mining trucks and poor quality of road construction. People are compelled to do “Raasta Roko” like in Cancona to bring the governments focus on its issues. Even today there no daily trains connecting Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad etc.

Some more instances of a “Knee Jerk Governance” at our State:

Regional Plan is drafted by Private consultants based in Delhi and set for implementation by Goa Government, followed by people outcry and now Regional Plan is set for discussions across every panchayat.
Goan MLAs spend our tax payers’ money on lavish dinner parties, frequent flights and luxurious stays in hotels in Delhi / Mumbai. Shri Agnelo Fernandes, the chairman of Economic Development Corporation, Shri Gurudas Gawas, chairman of Goa Handicrafts, Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation and Shri Shyam Satardekar, chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation were sent for the 10-day tour of Australia just when then they decided to plot a political coup. Organizations & Governments are globally are cutting costs but there seems to be no initiative taken by our respected leaders to cut costs of money that doesn’t belong to them.
Once upon a time, we had the best healthcare for Aam Aadmi, in the name of Medical Tourism, Healthcare for Goans has become expensive.

Both BJP and Congress play with the sentiments of 3 religions-Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Both the leaders have never taken any initiative for Goans Pilgrims to visit places outside India such as Vatican, Mecca, Mansarovar, Mount Kailash etc (which is a Union Subject)

Sometimes I wonder whether the present state government has redefined the definition of Democracy from ‘of the people, for the people, by the people’ to “Government of the miners, for the real estate, by corruption”. Our role as people or citizens is just to be vigilant now that we have brought this government into power. The present politicians like to ride our emotions reminding our religions, communalism, family centric politics etc. they create this haze around by which we forget to ask one fundamental question “Have you delivered governance?”

When we press the ballot button, we must detach from all conditioning and ask will he deliver and if not am I not responsible for voting him in.

April 23 is coming, many of young voters like me would be travelling over 600 kms to cast our vote, by travelling over 15 hours on roads that our below benchmark of other states in India. All this with a hope that governance will change, our leaders will change, because we as citizens are changing and evolving.

Jai Hind

Navendu Shirali

BIHAR UPDATE- NOT A SEXY STORY TO TELL

2008-10-10T07:25:00.001-07:00

Revati Laul
Special Correspondent, NDTV
Thursday, September, 25 2008 (New Delhi)

We live in such voyeuristic times that it's often difficult to feel anything
anymore. Blasts. Floods. Torture. Terror. Every news piece is a story of
victims of some sort or the other and after a point it's all deafeningly
similar. An endless stream of tears, loss, and above all of that, viewer and
reporter fatigue.

So when I went into Bihar to report on the floods, I was carrying the
enormous weight of that weariness with me. `Oh, you're going in three weeks
later...huh. ..,' said a colleague or two. `Well, there are stories to do
yaar, but it's no longer a headline. Not a sexy story.'

So it took a while for these layers to peel away and for the true horror of
what I was in; actually dawn on me. Realisation came nearly two weeks into
reporting in flood hit Bihar. Relief camp after camp. Tens of thousands of
people queuing in long lines to get food. But it seemed like the Nitish
Kumar government was doing the impossible. Moving a state machinery that had
become defunct through decades of misuse and getting large relief camps into
pretty decent shape.

Then, we drove down a stretch of national highway in Supaul. It was a sight
that suddenly changed everything. One never ending road...stretching far
beyond the horizon....miles and miles of people huddled into plastic
sheets...in what looked like the longest camp in the world. It wasn't even a
camp. It was a vast plastic slum. We measured it the next day. It was 6
kilometres of road...dotted by plastic tent after tent...at least 4 lakh
people on one stretch of road alone, all from just this one district. Lined
up like an army of ants. This was no flood.

It was I now realised, the largest displacement of people in India since the
partition. Perhaps the largest displacement of people anywhere in the world
in the last decade or more. We're talking about a river getting up and
moving 120 kilometres east. We're talking about 35 lakh people displaced.
Homeless overnight. 3.5 million people. That's nearly half the population of
Bihar. Out in plastic shanties. Homeless, penniless and struggling to
survive. Or nearly the whole population of Orissa, the neighbouring state
that's also flooded.

Imagine feeding 35 lakh marooned shelter less people everyday. Even if you
give them only two instead of three meals, and imagine that you can get one
meal for 10 rupees...that adds up to 7 crore rupees or 7 million in just one
day. Now know, that their villages are either completely submerged or at
best, floating in at least 3 feet of water. That's not receding yet. The
water may take another six months to find alternate routes and leave behind
vast tracts of ruined, bare land.

Imagine what it's going to be like to feed that many people out on the
streets for 6 months or more. Ok, let's pretend, we're going to be
optimistic and hope this will all somehow sort itself out in three months
and the villages, now unidentifiable tracts of land will be ready for these
people (if they survive until then) to move back to in three months.

It will still cost a minimum of 630 crores just to feed them for three
months. That's not factoring in the cost of transporting the food there. Or
the cost of cooking pans (that nobody has thought of transporting there so
far). Or fuel. Or tents. Or medicines. Or clothes.

And the Prime Minister's relief Fund is 1000 crores. Given the scale of this
disaster, that's nothing.

Now look at the picture already in front of us. A disaster on a scale India
hasn't seen since it's independence. But one that's somehow being reported
as `The Bihar Flood.'

And therefore a localised problem. Like a bad annual rash you may get on
your arm in the monsoon that some ointment will set right. Oh the annual
floods again! Something that should ideally make the central government push
panic buttons for on a war scale. That the national media should report on
as if we're in the grip of a war. And only then will these people have a
fighting chance at even receiving 10 rupees a day worth of rations.

But now, a month has gone by. The Delhi blasts have happened. India's
nuclear deal is on the verge of being pushed through parliament. The
financial world as we know it has crumbled and America is getting ready for
it's Presidential debate. Where's the space in all of that for The Bihar
Flood? Oh yes, wait a minute! There IS space. It's now clubbed together with
other flooding - Orissa, Nasik. It happens every year. It's the same story.
Poor people. They're used to it.

Try telling that to Rajender Sardar, living in a 8 x 6 feet plastic tent in
what I'm going to refer to here as the longest camp in the world. He's ill,
so is his wife. The top of the plastic sheet is so hot when the sun's
overhead that if your skin accidentally touches it, it will get singed (as
mine did).

Yes, he is poor. Yes he earned money before the flood as a daily wage
labourer. But go look at how daily wage labourers live in their villages.
Not in plastic. Mud walled huts covered by thatch and bamboo. One hut, with
mosquito nets in it is meant for sleeping. The hut next to it is meant for
cooking and a third serves as a cattle shelter. All of this near a hand pump
connected to a tube well that pumps sweet, clean groundwater. And located in
the midst of vast open fields.

Here, it is possible even for these subsistence level miserably poor workers
to get a good night's sleep. To stretch out under the mosquito net at night
and not be bitten by mosquitoes. To know that tomorrow, they may not get
much more than dry rotis to eat. But maybe the day after they may be able to
have two or three meals.

Contrast that with life under a plastic sheet. Six people lie here huddled.
No space to even lie down. And the heat is so unbearable, that in 5 minutes
you're drenched in sweat, your body demands water, more food, salts and
sugar that's drained out of you. You get no sleep and certainly not enough
to eat. You cook in a chullah made in front of your tent. That's on the
road.

You've lived in the same pair of clothes for a month. There's not always
water at hand to wash it, and what by the way will you wear if you wash the
only set of clothes you've got? If you're a woman, this means living through
your menstrual cycle in this state. Blood on your clothes.

An NGO told me horror stories of women who in these times, were used to
using many pieces of cloth, and changing their clothes, now have to live in
that one set of soiled clothes. Some, in desperation, use polythene bags to
stop the blood. Yes, this is a gory story but needs to be told. This NGO
provides sanitary napkins to women and they get used in a second. Oh, what
are you talking about, said some people I told this to. These women have
never used napkins in their lives before. True. They've also never had to
live in one pair of soiled clothes before.

In less than a month, from being extremely hot, it's going to be extremely
cold. Thirty-five lakh people are going to need blankets and shawls. But
Bihar is no longer a sexy story. Soon, it's going to disappear off the news
altogether. The relief trickling in now, will become a slow staccato drip.
Like the last drop from a stubborn tap you're trying to shut.

The thirty five lakh people also includes many who aren't in camps or
plastic slums I've described so far. They're wading through three feet of
water everyday in their villages. Staying on there for fear of losing their
only means of livelihood - their cattle. What do we call these people?

Stupid for staying on? Oh, how stupid you want to save your house and your
money. Get out, go live...erm, where......go live on the street like the
millions of others...Sleep piled up one on top of the other, wait your turn
for the handful of food. And for a fresh set of clothes; chucked from a
truck or tractor to many desperate, flailing anonymous hands. So that when
you return in a few months when the water clears, you see a neat little
piece of land. One small problem that might arise.

Where exactly on that vast stretch of mud is your village? And in it, your
piece of land. With all the recognizable markers washed away, how do you
tell one village or field from the next? So many say, no thank you. We'll
take our chances, live in semi submerged villages amid disease and carcasses
of cattle. But at least this is ours. Only, the Bihar story is no longer in
the news. Orissa is now flooded. The last few boats connecting these
floating villages to supplies of food grain are now going to retreat. The
army and central industrial reserve force boats are after all, meant for
rescue missions. Not suppliers of daily rations or ferry rides for pregnant
women cut off from hospitals.

If the boats stop, well...let's not imagine what will happen if they stop.

Let's look at the bright side. These people are after all mainly daily wage
labourers. Extreme poverty is all they've ever known. They're used to
starving. They'll survive.

Sounds good, sitting here in Delhi, where we haven't a clue what subsistence
level existence is or what starvation really means. We think India's poor
starving millions somehow have a different biological clock from the rest of
us. Somehow, they'll be able to take weeks and months of only one meal a day
(as opposed to intermittent days when they may miss the odd meal). They can
live under plastic. They can survive endless mosquito bites and acute
diarrhoea. Somehow the data on malaria deaths, on kala azar deaths and
people dying of starvation amongst these poor don't tell us anything about
this imagined resilience.

Or one very crucial fact. When you're at subsistence level, you are at
bottom rung. One rung lower means below subsistence. Death. But who's
listening. Right now, I'm back from Bihar with all these stories to tell.
But it's not on the news yet. Bihar floods every year yaar. Terror. The nuke
deal. Freddie and Fannie collapsing. Will our markets survive? Never mind
thirty five lakh people. Bihar is always flooded at this time of the year.

Gandhi remembered in US 2008

2008-10-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

October 2, 2008

Gandhi Service Day

Dear Friends,

It's a pleasure for me to join today in commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's day of birth, celebrated across America and around the world by service to our neighbors and other good works. Gandhi's commitment to creating positive change by bringing people together peacefully to demand it resonate as strongly today as they did during his lifetime. Through the power of his example and his own unshakeable spirit, he inspired a people to resist oppression, sparking a revolution that freed a nation from colonial rule. In formulating his strategy to achieve freedom, Gandhi had a choice, and he chose courage over fear.

America faces many choices as we work to address the challenges of our time. We must act from a place of strength and conviction to reclaim the high road and position of moral leadership that has defined the United States at its best.

Gandhi's significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been touched by his spirit and example – his victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century, and more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of their great debt to Gandhi. His portrait hangs in my office to remind me that real change will not come from Washington - it will come when the people, united, bring it to Washington.

This is a pivotal election. This is our time for change. For far too long, we've watched as ordinary Americans work harder and harder for less and less. We've watched our standing in the world erode as we continue to lose American lives in a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged. I need you to stand up and work for change. Let us all rededicate ourselves, every day from now until November 4th, and beyond, to living Gandhi's call to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

GOANET - TIME TO STAND UNITED !

2008-08-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

GOANET: Is mailer group subscribed by Goans across the world, this forum has lately seen a lot of personal attack on each other.

Editor of Navhind Times attempting to tear down the GBA in his article The Great Goan Illusion. which rhymes with the article published in Herald

THE GREAT GOAN UPRISING

Very painful to see, that the only united opposition to real estate and illegal mining is speculated for a breaking down in eyes of citizens.

Guess it’s a master stroke by real estate n mining lobby, involve the GBA in RP draft, spread the rumour of sell outs, attack the credibility of the main leaders, result, the sharpest arrow is now withdrawn. (Reminds me Chanakya's Arthashastra)

It’s painful to see that such forums are being used to hit at each other, personal allegations, citizens who are in goa & want to voice out their hurt egos choose to do in open forums instead of just speaking on face to face and settling down.

I guess such forums will soon get polarized as well. I realize we all have differences, there is seems to be no discussion on the middle path, we all agree on disagreements, but we also need to agree on what all of us agree too. Our methods of fight may be different, affiliations to political ideology might be different but our goals must be same.

Both Jesus and Ram always stood as for Apology, restitution and love. Somewhere there is Gandhism missing in each one of us.

I hope this forum unites in spite of all individualistic ideologies; there is a bigger cause we need to focus on,

There are 3 big battles awaits us, The Real Estate Lobby, SEZs that don’t meet local consensus, Illegal Mining.

Each one of them becomes more powerful every time we disintegrate and tear down credibility of each other. We know that Goa is 0.1% of India Geographic area, for them its highest premium property, lowest cost of minerals, and they only thing that can stop this chaos is us, the citizens of Goa.

Our generation, lies on threshold to see whether Citizens of Goa remain as united as these Lobbies, who stand united in every battle.

“Wrong will always remain wrong, even if everyone does it. Right will always remain right, even if no one does it.”

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

Mining of Goa- Satelitte Images

2008-08-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

These are some shocking images from the satellite of a Goa unknown, the scale and proximity to natural reserves is shocking.
Its a matter of time, to see how the people of Goa perform.
They have won the quarter finals against Regional Plan, Semi Final against SEZs and now in the Grand Finale against rampant Mining.

Barge....

Near Bicholim

HONDA !!

Mine next to Mayem Lake,

Grey areas of 123 Nuclear Agreement

2008-07-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

I rushed home, to see what Indian elected representatives thought of the 123 Nuclear Agreements. The debate both by the party in favour and against was a complete political small talk. No one spoke section by section where the grey areas are or where there is a strong disagreement or where there are strong strengths for India.

It was even more surprising that respected leaders such as the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, educated stalwarts within the Lok Sabha were focusing on political issues from price rise, disunity within Parties, horse trading etc. Those in favour and against never could explain which sections in the 123 Agreement they referred to.

Either they assume the common public is not interested in knowing the sections of the 123 Agreement but the political implications, or they have not read the agreement. It was an opportunity for every elected representative, to come to national stage with a clear argument in favour or against based on sections of the agreement. But all failed. With half a century on, our democracy still remains in periodic infancy.

For some one who has been intellectual, an independent a voice never heard, this was an opportunity to speak on large canvas, to inform the leaders and nation, what are the implications on society of this agreement. I am in search of these elected representatives. It was even more painful, for me, as I tried in my way to contribute towards a better discussion. I visited Delhi, submitted by questions on the grey areas in this agreement to Shri Shripad Naik, who hails from my constituency. Perhaps he did not get his chance to address the nation, or may be my critique on the policy was lost in tables of paper. What a wonderful opportunity to bring a perspective, for any representative, was drained. There were no discussions on basic issues such as Nuclear Waste Management and Rehabilitation measures, Environment Protection, Sharing of Critical Information, complete physical access to IAEA, Compensation for Accidents, Monopolizing nuclear energy market, etc.

Following are some of the Grey areas in the Articles of the 123 Nuclear Agreement:

Article 3-

Will the information under this article between 2 countries be accessible to private Nuclear Companies?
The article refers to control of information by both countries which it considers as Restricted Data. What kind of data will be considered as Restricted Data? Can this Restricted Data be very relative in both countries?
Article refers to sharing of Research Information- But what about possible IP discovered in India or US, isn't that information to be kept confidential?

Article 4-Nuclear Trade-

Nuclear Trade as such is more viable and profitable to American Companies than Indian. The clause of addressing applications of nuclear companies within 2 month period ensures faster access to Indian energy market. Will the same period of 2 months be given to other nations such as France and Russia?

Article 5-Transfer-

Are we ready for exchange of low enrichment uranium & technology for energy needs in return to easier access to market and critical security information?
If disruption of fuel occurs due to unavoidable circumstances, then both countries will jointly convene a group of friendly supplies from Russia, France and UK. Why jointly and no independence for India to establish supply channels from these nations.

Article 7-Storage & Retransfer- Sharing of list of facilities-

If Information pertaining to Nuclear Program, locations and research activities are not available to Indian Citizens under Right to Information Act 2005, then how justifiable is it, to make it available to certain departments of another country, whose citizens are not under the jurisdiction or control Indian Administration?
Which offices private and public in both countries will hold this information?
Agreement does not refer to trial or compensation relief for any leakage of confidential information.

Article 11-Environmental Protection

There is No mention of compensation to society in case of any damage to environment or citizens. Our learning from Bhopal Gas Tragedy has to be understood by Policy makers. Where senior management of Union Carbide / Dow Chemicals are still liable for punishment, will senior management of companies and governments be held responsible for any possible further such cases.
If there is 2 month period for addressing grievances of companies doing business, why no time period fixed for compensation or punishment?

OPEN QUESTIONS

What percentage of energy demand in next 25 years is going to be met with Nuclear Energy? What is number of Nuclear Reactors planned by Indian Government to be established in next 25 years. A control over number of reactors is needed to maintain the balance of dependency on nuclear energy due to its high environment problems. Free market attitude will create over production pushing our natural resources to its limits.
Present Policy doesn't cover measures to tackle Kickbacks. As India has been very susceptible and many times compromised on several areas such as licenses, health and safety etc. Policy must ensure transparency in dealings and faster trial processes with both countries such as extradition treaty, freezing bank accounts of suspects, etc.
Since the pool of Nuclear Scientists in India is limited, same pool of scientists might be playing dual role or later be involved in nuclear defense related work. Information regarding such profiles is usually considered confidential for security purposes. Present Agreement enables disclosure of such profiles in form of meetings, exchange visits etc. to private and public offices. Where there is possibility of leakage of information again.
Agreement fails to address details of Nuclear Waste Management and Rehabilitation measures. If there join commissions to establish implementation of this agreement a necessary body has to be developed whose officers will be held accountable for nuclear waste disposal, management and rehabilitation.
Competitive Scenario- Is the domestic Indian Nuclear companies ready for competition with US or will they be compelled to collaborate rather than compete. What is the FDI Policy for this sector from commissioning of Nuclear Plants to importers / exporters of machinery, technology and raw materials?

Indian Sovereignty in deciding its foreign policy is debatable:

As per Hyde Act,

1. SEC. 103. STATEMENTS OF POLICY.

(b) WITH RESPECT TO SOUTH ASIA.—The following shall be the policies of the United States with respect to South Asia:

4) Secure India’s full and active participation in United States efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability and the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel, and the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction.

2. SEC. 104. WAIVER AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.

(2) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED.—

(G) A description and assessment of the specific measures that India has taken to fully and actively participate in United States and international efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability and the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel

3. SEC. 104. WAIVER AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.

(E)(i) REPORTING TO CONGRESS.—

(2) IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE REPORT.—

(E)(i) an assessment of whether India is fully and actively participating in United States and international

efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability (including the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel), and the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction, including a description of the specific measures that India has taken in this regard; and (ii) if India is not assessed to be fully and actively participating in such efforts, a description of—

(I) the measures the United States Government has taken to secure India’s full and active participation

in such efforts;

(II) the responses of the Government of India to such measures; and

(III) the measures the United States Government plans to take in the coming year to secure India’s full and active participation;

B) Based on the above, following are the questions I have:

1. If US is arm twisting our foreign policy to disarm Iran. Why cannot we, as the second largest energy market, ask US to take similar steps to disarm Pakistan as for terrorists to acquire Nuclear weapons Pakistan is more vulnerable than Iran.

2. What happens to cultural ties with Iran, and days of Non Alignment Movement? Has the Indian Government taken into confidence the large Indian Muslim population who sympathize with Iran?

3. Section 103, b.1 “(1) Achieve, at the earliest possible date, a moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear explosive purposes by India, Pakistan, and the People’s Republic of China.” I would like to know what the Indian Government’s opinion on this.

4. Just by claiming Hyde Act is domestic law in US and not applicable to India is not the way. We must ensure that we categorically have a MoU signed by India and US, that Section of Hyde Act are not applicable to India.

Battle for Bardez

2008-07-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

The battle for BardezLand conversions are going ahead merrily, says LIONEL MESSIAS. He gives a breakdown on the conversion scenario in the villages of Bardez talukaA land use con- version sanad,which once gave a landlord or the simple land buyer of old a sense of accomplishment, today has dangerous conn-otations.

At worst, it could mean doom for many villages, with the villagers battling to keep virtual gated communities out of their once charming village. But worse than that is the potential that some of these sanads have for both village and villager, because the outcome often is yet another huge hotel complex, as the names of many of the owners of the sanads mentioned in this article suggest.

In other words, more migrant labourers, more traffic on the existing narrow village roads that were never intended for the current onslaught, and more pressure on the existing unstable power supply. As for the stress that is being put on the meagre potable water supply, there is really nothing more that can be said to put the water shortage problem in perspective. All this put together can suck the life out of your village. Says Tulio de Souza, attorney of the Comunidade of Guirim and an architect, “I am of the opinion that for any application for conversion above one acre (4,000 sq m) for commercial pur-poses, the Collector needs to examine whether the necessary infrastructure is available in the area to support the kind of development that would follow the issuance of these sanads.”

In your backyardAlto PorvorimA beneficiary to take note of in Alto Porvorim is Devashri Estate Developers. It got 300 sq m of land converted in an amazingly short time. The firm applied for the sanad on 24 January 2006, and was issued the sanad on 8 April 2006. A total of 4,667 sq m was converted from agricultural to non-agricultural land. ArporaIn Arpora, a huge 1,22,115 sq m of land was converted. The most conspicuous beneficiaries are Dr Fernando Jose Mascarhenas (81,726 sq m), Prabhat Developers (1,969) and Riverside Home Developers (8,557 + 5,400). Two non-Goan parties got sanads. Shabbir AR Jhan converted 3,850 sq m, while Kalpesh Natwarlal Gahil and Ravi Ramesh Chandra Gahil jointly converted 3,300 sq m. CalanguteIn Calangute, where there is little land left to build on, sanads were issued covering a total of 90,900.85 sq m. It can safely be assumed that nearly all must be prime land and accessible to roads. As usual, builders and hoteliers were behind 14 of the 23 conversions. GKP Real Estate Developers, whose buildings in Calangute are ubiquitous, converted a total of 1,994 sq m, under two sanads. Others are DGN Resorts (1,775), Ronil Hotels & Resorts (1,950), Prudential Group (1,725), Hindustan Hotel Ltd, Panjim (2,375), Reira Construction (2,800), Nirvana Nest Buildcon (2,000), New Builders & Developers (575+2,991+700), Calangute Resorts (1,275), Saldanha Developers (900) and Whispering Resorts (3,000).

These land conversions represent 24,060 sq m of the land converted in Calangute.CandolimA total of 58,371.34 sq m of land was converted in this congested village with narrow roads. Builders showed the most interest. One builder, Shelly Gonsalves, got 1,775 and 4,675 sq m converted and another 2,940.34 sq m on behalf of Regal Builders. Other real estate developers with equally big plans are Navelkar Landmarks (1,403), Phoenix Township (1,310), Highland Constructions and Highland Holiday Homes (4,150), Dena Karen Holiday Homes (1,224), Devan Real Estate & Construction (12,733), Zephyr Holdings (2,225) Tangerina Hotels (2,775) and one Omprakash N Pariani (2,207 + 2,350). NerulCandolim-based builder Shelly Gonsalves has also converted 6,655 and 8,912.50 sq m in this village, next in line to be bludgeoned by builders after Calangute, Baga and Candolim.Reis MagosFericem Engineering converted 8,207 sq m
Salvador do MundoFredric Developers converted 630 sq m, CV Constructions 2,500 sq m and Navelkar Landmarks 8,910 sq m. Sangolda Apseksha Homes 2,425 sq m, Tropical Estates 4,546 sq m. SocorroAlcon Construction 15,398 sq m, RR Enterprises 1,000 sq m, Acron Developers 5,066 sq m and Tropical Estates (see Sangolda) 850 sq m.

Know your neighbourBuilders and hoteliers only In Socorro, Alcon has converted land under Survey No: 21/2. Sangolda: Tropical Estates - 2/11. Salvador do Mundo: Navelkar Landmarks - 66/1. Reis Magos: Fericem Engineering - 78/1-C. Nerul: Shelly Gonsalves 6,665 sq m - 11/1 and 8,912.50 - 5/1. Candolim: Regal Builders - 149/4, Navelkar Landmarks - 22/1-B, Phoenix Township - 226/10 &14 part 8C part & 8D part, Highland Constructions - 227/1, 227/2, Shelly Gonsalves 4,675 sq m - 224/2, 1,775 sq m - 10/1, Devan Real Estate - 224/1 & 223/8, Zephyr Holdings 2,225 sq - 179/6 & 3150 sq m - 208/3, Tangerina Hotels - 138/13-D, 135/2 & 3.

Note: Herald cannot find out if buildings have already been built on these lands, as the Right to Information (RTI) data provides only the applicant’s name, area, survey no, location, description of the forest/trees and the sanad application and issue date.

Source:http://www.oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=7062&cid=26

Tourism Policy made in Delhi heading for Conflict with Goan interests

2008-06-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

I almost thought it was high time that Goverment and Policy makers would start working on bottom up planning for growth. But some how there has been no learning.
As the state of Goa is erupting in fight against illegal CRZ construction and Anti-Casino Proliferation yet another policy is heading straight for a conflict just like the Regional Plan 2021 made by a fly by night so called consulting firm CES based in Delhi.

New Delhi moots CRZ relaxation

HERALD CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JUNE 14 — As part of a grand initiative to ‘promote tourism’ in India, the Union Tourism Ministry is preparing a policy that will allow construction of hotels in beach areas by relaxation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) requirements.
The proposal also envisages setting up of ‘tourism clusters’ around metros and major cities, as well as setting up of casinos.
The ministry says it wants to make Indian destinations attractive for in-bound traffic, as it still constitutes only a small fraction of global tourist flows, and also to cater to young domestic tourists with high disposable incomes. The point is to “break the traditional image of the country and offer tourists a wholesome experience”, a Tourism Ministry official explained.
These moves are based on the recommendations made by a high-level group on the services sector headed by Planning Commission member Anwarul Hoda.
The Ministry of Tourism says it is converting the group’s suggestions into a policy initiative. It believes the new strategy will not only boost the competitiveness of India’s tourist destinations, but also generate significant revenues for the respective State governments.
One of the main proposals is to develop India as an attractive beach destination. For this, the ministry suggests that the CRZ should be relaxed, as under the existing rules a hotel cannot be built within 200 metres of the sea. “Such a restriction does not exist in any successful beach destination in the world,” said the Tourism Ministry official.
‘Tourism clusters’ will be set up within 150 km of a city, over an area of 4 lakh to 20 lakh sq metres. They will have hotels, restaurants, spas, theme parks, skating rinks, lakes for boating and sailing, golf courses, tennis courts and indoor games.
The proposal recommends that the government should grant infrastructure status to these clusters, so that they can access finance at cheaper rates and import equipment duty-free. Casinos are also on the agenda for cities with large tourist inflows. But the official was careful to add that this would be pursued only after there is political consensus on the issue.

Fallout of Investigation on Goa Real Estate Show in Delhi

2008-06-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

Read the awareness story of Goa Real Estate Show and about the Great Goan Uprising.

Delhi builder in dock for forgery

HERALD REPORTER
Colva Communidade Attorney files case

MARGAO, JUNE 14 — Anti-mega housing activists from Colva tasted yet another success when the Colva police on Saturday registered a case of forgery against a Delhi-based builder for forging of the seal of the local Communidade to obtain NOC for a road passing through Communidade property in Gandaulim.
Colva police station incharge, PI Edwin Colaco said the police has registered a case against the builder, Darshan Khang.
The police acted on a complaint lodged by the Attorney of the Colva and Gandaulim Communi-dade, Vilton D’Costa, who filed the complaint after a preliminary inquiry conducted by the then South Goa Administrator of Communidades, Laura Britto.
PI Colaco said the police will send the seal to the handwriting experts for verification.
Incidentally, the police acted belatedly, even though the residents of Gandaulim had lodged a complaint in April against the Delhi-based firm.
The residents have been demanding action over a NOC produced by the builder purportedly issued by the Colva Communidade for a road access to the mega project.
The residents were emboldened in their battle when the Escrivao of Colva Communidade in his report to the Administrator of Communidades, South categorically stated that there was neither any record in the Communidade office in respect of any application seeking for an NOC nor was there any resolution adopted by the body to issue NOC to pave way for a 8-meter road through its property.
“The Escrivao stated that he had thoroughly verified all the resolutions taken from 2001 to 2003, but could not find any resolution in respect of the NOC from the Communidade produced by the builder before the panchayat.
He further stated that he had not given authority to any member of the managing committee to use the seal of the Communidade of Colva, and quite clearly said the seal used by the Attorney is not genuine.
Incidentally, the Delhi-based builder has already withdrawn his construction file from the Village Panchayat of Colva.
A local activist, Elvis Gomes said the Colva police should now take the case to its logical conclusion and also book the local person, who was involved in helping the builder forge the seal and obtain the NOC on a fake stamp paper.

Who will be India's Obama?

2008-06-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

Rajdeep Sardesai:

In the week when 46-year-old Barack Obama was being anointed the Democratic party's presidential candidate in the United States, Tamil Nadu's chief minister M Karunanidhi was being felicitated on his 85th birthday. While Obama made a stirring speech in front of hundreds of cheering young Americans, the DMK patriarch mumbled a few words on stage in the company of his two sons, MK Stalin and Azhagiri, both jostling to be heir-apparents to their ageing father's legacy. The contrast could not have been more stark: in America, Obama represents "change" and "equal opportunity", a charismatic Afro-American Harvard-educated lawyer who has risen up the political ladder through merit and hard work.

In India, Karunanidhi and sons are symbols of a static order, where a political party is a family business and where the top posts are closed for talented outsiders. Obama is the man from nowhere, throwing open the doors of the Washington establishment, renewing stale old political processes, with a completely new energy.

Can the Indian political system throw up a Barack Obama-like figure who exemplifies in his own person, the "change we can believe in" tagline? Unlikely. Leave aside the two cadre-based parties -- the left and the BJP - and every political formation in this country is an extension of a presiding family with strict rules of entry and upward mobility. In tightly-knit regional parties, this phenomenon gets accentuated.

Parties like Lalu Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, for example, don't even have elections for office-bearers, the decision on who to appoint are the sole prerogative of an individual. A Sharad Pawar's NCP may claim to be encouraging "young" talent, but can the Baramati boss say with any conviction that his successor will be someone other than his nephew or daughter? The National Conference in Kashmir, the Akalis in Punjab, the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, the Samajwadi party, the Shiv Sena: a majority of political parties in this country are dynastic in structure, run like feudal oligarchies.

Could the Congress party throw up a leader outside the Nehru-Gandhi family? Very doubtful given the manner in which the party organization is now completely subservient to the notion of the First Family. That a section of the Congress chooses to push for Priyanka Gandhi, even though she has made it amply clear that she doesn't want to join politics, is proof of how the party is unable to look beyond a family for leadership.Even the BJP, which can legitimately claim to have stayed away from actively encouraging dynastical politics, is hardly a meritocratic organization.

The recent elections in Karnataka provided a glaring example of how party tickets in several constituencies were distributed on the basis of money power alone, and not on ideological commitment or organizational ability. That in over four decades, the BJP has thrown up just two "national" leaders - Vajpayee and Advani, both now octogenarians - is evidence of a rigidly controlled party structure that is unwilling to open itself up to change. It is a bit like the Hindu joint family syndrome: the fear of allowing a "younger", more dynamic leadership is seen to be against a tradition that places a premium on age and experience.

A geriatric leadership has been the burden of the left as well. At 64, a Prakash Karat may be a representative of the next generation of left leadership, but his ascent is also the culmination of more than 40 years within the party apparatus and he cannot be seen as someone who has carved a dramatically different path for the left or has infused it with original, distinctive ideas.

Indeed, in structural terms, Indian politics it seems has lesser and lesser space for fresh, independent minds: individuals who will question the prevailing orthodoxy, who will challenge entrenched mindsets, and who will build new constituencies. Instead, the focus remains on those who are either part of the "family" system or are rewarded for flattery and for practising status quoist politics.

India's generation next politicians may dress and talk smart, but how many of them can claim to be truly empowered? Satisfied with the crumbs of an insignificant ministry or political post, a majority seem to have little option but to wait their turn. After all, they are in politics because they are dutiful sons; not because they have the passion to change their fathers' values.

Contrast the passion and excitement that Obama has ignited within the younger Americans with the cynicism and apathy that our netas seem to generate. A Rahul Gandhi, for example, may have chosen a 20-20 cricket tournament to encourage youth in Amethi, but can that ever be a substitute for a concrete programme of action for the young to enter public life? When is the last time any Indian politician for that matter made a serious effort at reaching out to young India, or redefining the rules of political power?

In the end, the Obama phenomenon is not just about him being the first African-American to have won a major party nomination for the US presidency. Race may have been a contributing factor in highlighting the change agenda, but there was surely more to his success than just contrasting his roots with the political pedigree of his rival. Obama won because he was able to symbolize a generational change, an America fatigued by the Washington consensus and itching to break away from the Clinton-Bush duopoly over power.

Ironically, the one Indian politician who comes closest to embracing the Obama principle is Mayawati. There are many aspects of Maya raj that are wholly undesirable, but at least she offers her supporters the hope of a new political order, however flawed. She may have alienated middle class India with her corrupt, autocratic ways, but for the next generation Bahujan Samaj, Mayawati is the only representative of real change. If Mayawati had been fortunate enough to go to Harvard, perhaps she too could have created an entire new menu for indian political and social life, a new discourse, a new counter culture that is truly Indian (unlike the Left) and truly revolutionary (unlike the Congress).

For the moment, India awaits her Barack Obama.

Documentary on Great Goan Uprising !

2008-06-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to editorial team of CNN IBN, Barkha and Divya Iyer for taking this initiative and bringing these stories on national level.
As most of the newspapers in Goa, fail to cover these stories due to stakeholder interest. this is a video which brings the grim reality straight on the face.
VIDEO
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/66846/.html

THE GREAT GOAN UPRISING ARTICLE PUBLISHED VERSION

2008-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

The article on The Great Goan Uprising published by HERALD.

Apologies for bad resolution, will try getting a better copy scanned.

Original Article: Click Here

Govt to frame new rules for constructions

2008-05-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

In my repeated visits to Goa, asking the Shri Morad Ahmed, as to what can his office do make Goa the model state, aligning development with needs of locals seems to not have gone to deaf ears, specially with peoples movement coming shape across Goa.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, MAY 19 — The Goa Government is in the process of giving final touches to a set of new regulations for laying down unified procedures for land development and constructions across the State.
The Government will invite objections and suggestions from the public on the draft regulations within a month, Chief Town Planner, Morad Ahmad told Herald. As per the Goa (Regulation of Land Development and Building Construction) Act, 2008, public view is to be obtained for a period of 30 days by issuing a notification.
This is going to be a unified regulation for any kind of construction in the State of Goa and apprehensions are already being raised by the panchayats and municipalities over the issue.
The Bill was passed in the last Assembly session mainly to introduce centralized regulations which as of now are being executed separately by local bodies – panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporation besides PDAs. The three institutions are currently having their rules for land development and building constructions.
Sources said the regulations would provide for zoning of the land, general requirement of land development, group housing, sub-division of land including amalgamation of plots,preservation and conservation and importantly, procedure for seeking development permission from panchayats, municipal councils/corporation and Planning & Development Authorities (PDAs).
According to the provision of the Act, any application for land development or construction of building received by the Panchayat/municipal council/municipal corporation would be forwarded by them to the respective district level/taluka level office of Town & Country Planning Department for obtaining No Objection Certification (NOC) from planning point of view.
The Act also envisages an interim provision to facilitate the authorities to follow the regulations, bye-laws and rules which are being followed until the new rules and regulations come into force.
The Government will set up a Steering Committee headed by the Chief Minister as its chairman which in turn will appoint a Sub-Committee consisting of Director of Municipal Administration, Director of Panchayats, chairman of Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry, chairman of Goa Chamber of Housing Industry, a representative each of registered local chapter/association of town planners, engineers and architects to consider objections and suggestions received from the public. It will have to submit a report to the Steering Committee within two months.
The Steering Committee, after considering the report of the sub-committee, will submit its report with recommendations, to the Government within 30 days of receipt of the sub-committee’s report.

Mining activities kick dust in Bicholim

2008-05-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

The peoples movement in Bicholim, resulting in the first ever large movement in Bicholim Taluka.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

Patnekar, 70 others arrested
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
MAYEM, MAY 19 — Tension gripped Advalpal-Bicholim on Monday, as hundreds of irate villagers staged a protest rally and forcibly stopped mining activities in the village.
Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar and 70 agitators were later arrested in the connection, even as villagers have threatened to intensify their agitation if mining companies do not stop operations in the village within eight days.
Residents have been opposing mining activities in the village, ever since mining companies resumed operations two years ago, after a gap of about 40 years.
Villagers were aggrieved that despite several complaints to authorities, mining operations continued unabated.
Left with no option, villagers then convened a meeting two weeks ago to chalk out their future course of action. When authorities failed to break the deadlock between the agitating residents and mining companies, residents of Advalpal decided to stop mining activities on Monday.
Incidentally, villagers first sought blessings of the local goddess Shantadurga at the local temple, before stopping all trucks and vehicles linked to mining activities. The protestors then went to three mining sites and forcibly stopped operations, including loading of ore.
Bicholim Deputy Collector Arvind Bugde, DySP Bosco Silva, Bicholim PI Braz Menezes, Mamlatdar Upendra Bhat, PSI Tukaram Walke and a police team rushed to the spot. But they could do little to persuade villagers to disperse from the site.
Efforts to persuade Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar, who was also at the site, met with little success. “I will always be with the villagers as they are facing acute hardship. It is my responsibility to support them for their safety,” said Patnekar.
Mining companies then lodged a complaint against the villagers, but the police was initially reluctant to arrest any of the protestors. But when talks between the villagers and mining officials broke down in the afternoon, mining operations resumed in the evening. The agitators then rushed to a mining site and tried to stop the operations. Police then arrested Patnekar and 70 agitators under Section 151 IPC.
Angered by the arrest of MLA Patnekar and 70 others, a number of women rushed to the Bicholim police station and squatted on the floor in protest for about two hours. Patnekar and 70 others were later released on bail by the Deputy Collector.
The agitators, however, vowed to continue their protests till mining activities are stopped in the village.
“We are determined to fight unto death and nobody will stop us from doing so” warned Shyamsundar Naik, leader of the agitating residents.
“Mine owners and Government officials are working in collusion to finish Advalpal village, which was once full with lush green hills and natural heritage. Water bodies like springs and wells have been destroyed, while there is sound and air pollution in the entire village,” he said.

Kalem locals want action against ‘polluting’ plant

2008-05-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

The awakening of Goan masses and its ripple effects....more...

BY HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MAY 19 - Agitated residents of Kalem on Monday asked district Collector, G P Naik to initiate action against a sponge iron plant for alleged pollution.
The residents warned to take the law in their own hands if the government fails to intervene and redress the grievances of the people of Kalem.
Black-colour dust, which the residents claim is polluting the houses of the people of Kalem was kept before the Collector for his attention and action.
Saying that they have lost faith in the Goa Pollution Control Board, the residents underlined the need for quick action before the situation takes an ugly turn.
The Collector gave a patient hearing to the residents and assured that the issue needs to be examined on legal grounds. He said the matter would be referred to the law department for examination as the company recently got a relief from the supreme court.
Meanwhile, the Collector today issued strict instructions to the police and RTO to explore the possibility of building road bypasses at Curchorem and Quepem.
This follows a petition made by the residents against loaded mining trucks entering the Curchorem market and causing traffic congestion.
The residents maintained that a by-pass could solve the problem of acute traffic congestion in the Curchorem market.
The authorities, including the Traffic police and the RTO were given directions to prepare the feasibility report within four days and submit the report to the Collector .

Nuvem infrastructure fails to keep pace with time

2008-05-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

The awakening of Goan masses and its ripple effects....

BY HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MAY 19 - If Nuvem villagers are up in arms over the construction of 40 bungalows, the message is loud and clear for the powers that be - don’t issue indiscriminate licences for mega housing projects without taking into account basic infrastructure requirements.
It’s prime location on the NH-17 - right on the northern entrance to Margao — and the booming real estate is an indication that Nuvem is the destination for many a settler in Goa.
Sadly, many a local feels the infrastructure has not kept pace with the booming housing constructions mushrooming in Nuvem countryside.
Take for instance, the fish market. While one find bungalows perched on a hillock as one enters Nuvem from Margao, fisher folks continue to sell fish from a makeshift market right adjoining the highway - bringing to the fore the absence of basic infrastructure.
That the local MLA and Power Minister, Aleixo Sequeira has now taken up work on the proposed market is not in dispute, but the fact remains that infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the changing times in Nuvem, which is fast acquiring urban features.
Leave alone market facilities, the village is grappling with the garbage menace. No garbage disposal facility has been identified by the local body and locals wonder where the garbage generated in the new housing complexes would find their way in the absence of any dumpyard.
That agitated villagers are opposed to the mega project - relating to 40 bungalows with swimming pool facility — is an indication that the locals would no longer take things lying down now.
When contacted, Local MLA Alexio Sequeira said issuing construction licences is the domain of the local village Panchayat body. “It’ for the Panchayat to assess the infrastructural requirements before granting permissions for new constructions”, he added.
Nuvem Sarpanch, Antonio Barretto, who came under fire at the Sunday’s gram Sabha meeting, however, said that technical agencies such as the PWD and the Town and Country Planning department should guide the Panchayat body on technical and basic infrastructure such as roads, water, power et al.
“Why is the Panchayat blamed when these technical agencies approve the construction plans”, he asked and disclosed plans to approach the government to define the meaning of mega housing projects.
However, Town and Country Planning officials maintained that it’s purely for the local Panchayat body to evaluate the existing infrastructure and then only to forward the file for technical approval. “If the Panchayat feels so, the file can be returned back to the builder at the Panchayat level itself.”, a TCP official said.

Liberation Movement of Advalpal People

2008-05-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Source:http://www.mandgoa.blogspot.com/

“It’s like Liberation Movement of Advalpal from colonial mindset of miners”. This is how Ramesh Gauns sums up the Advalpal people’s revolt in Bicholim taluka against open cast iron ore and magnesium mining.

Around 600 villagers marched on the mines leased out to Litho Ferro, Sesa Goa, and Salgaoncar mining companies this morning. At around 4 pm two villagers were arrested while on a delegation to deputy collector’s office in Bicholim. Shamsunder Naik and Kashinath Gad were whisked away by police officials attached to Bicholim police station.

As a quick reaction to the above arrests, around 500 people descended at the Bicholim Police station in two vans offering their arrests too. Police were in the process of completing formalities of arrests when the report last came in at 6.45pm.

Section 151 of CrPC was applied to register cases against over 100 Advalpal protestors today.

Large number of women is also a part of the 500 strong group that has gone to court arrest at Bicholim police station, in fact one van is full of women and the other of men.

Reports received at 8 pm discloses that Fomento mining company had filed police cases against following 12 Advalpal villagers Shyamsunder Naik, Sharmila Naik, Kishore Naik, Kashinath Gad, Vijay Pundloskar, Ganesh Naik, Babi Gaonkar, Suresh Gad, Shrikant Gaonkar, Manguesh Gad, Amar Shetye and Pradip Gaonkar. The cases were registered under following sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): 143, 144, 147, 148, 323, 427, 341, 506 and 149.

Out of these 4 people were arrested namely, Shyamsunder Naik, Sharmila Naik, Kishore Naik and Kashinath Gad. The process of releasing them on bail was on when the last reports came in.

Fometos are operating Litho Ferro mining lease in Advalpal and has one of the worst records in applying State police force and entire machinery to silence people's protests. The best examples of these are Colamb in Sanguem and Pissurlem in Sattari talukas.

While all these protests are raging throughout the state of Goa, Government continues continues to be active collaborator of Goa's mining plunder and loot.

Sebastian Rodrigues with input from Shyamsunder Naik in Police custody at Bicholim Police Station, Bicholim, Goa.

Benaulim panchayat seeks revocation of licences of mega housing projects

2008-05-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

MARGAO â€” The Benaulim gram sabha on Sunday passed a resolution seeking revocation of licences to all the mega housing projects in Benaulim village with retrospective effect from January 26, 2007.

Changing their earlier stand, all the panchas, including the sarpanch, Ms Maria Fernandes, bowed to public pressure and assured the villagers that they would not allow any mega housing projects in their respective wards and the village at large.

â€œWe do not want projects in our village, which will cause harm to the villager and the children of the village. Since the people of Benaulim donâ€™t want such projects, I too am with you and oppose such mega projects,â€ the sarpanch said after the villagers sought assurance from all the 11 panchas on the issue.

The sarpanch informed that all the housing projects have been issued inspection notice and that the inspection would be completed within the next fortnight. She also said those violating the laws would be given show-cause notice and action would be initiated. Ms Fernandes promised the gram sabha that report would be presented at the next meeting, which will be held on June 1

The people, who had gathered in large numbers, appreciated the stand taken by the panchas in opposing the mega housing projects. Over 600 people had gathered for the gram sabha, which was re-convened after it got adjourned on May 11.

The Benaulim gram sabha was once again adjourned for the second time till June 1 after the sarpanch failed to give satisfactory replies to many of the queries put forth by the people. The marathon gram sabha which lasted over five hours could take up only six issues for discussion as the villagers alleged that the panchayat is taking the people for granted and wasting their time.

Earlier, the villagers took serious exception to the absence of the Benaulim panchayat secretary, Mr Menino Carvalho. The villagers alleged that Mr Carvalho is avoiding the gram sabhas. However, it was informed that Mr Carvalho is on medical leave and that he had informed the BDO about the same.

The villagers alleged that the panchayat is bypassing procedures and that it has failed to curb irregularities because of their vested interests. They also asked the panchayat to discuss all mega projects with the villagers before issuing licences to them.

Heated arguments continued throughout the day as the panchas and the sarpanch traded allegations and counter-allegations against each other after irregularities in the procedures in issuing licences for the housing projects came to light.

As the people scrutinised the mass irregularities in the housing projects the sarpanch was in a fix as she failed to give proper replies to the queries posed by the villagers. The sarpanch and the stand-in secretary also had to face the ire of the villagers as they failed to take a resolution over a housing project in the village.

The villagers also demanded revocation of licences of all the housing projects which have come up after January 26, 2007. However, pancha, Ms Carmelina Fernandes informed that it would not be possible to revoke the licences of all projects, however, those who have violated the laws would be taken to task.

Ramesh Gauns

2008-05-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ramesh Gauns, a citizen in Goa is fighting all odds to stop mining in the state. For 13 years, he has been trying to mobilise people into raising a voice against the devastation and asking the government to stop clearing mining licenses in Goa.

Watch the Video of about this ONE MAN ARMY- CNN IBN

State told to probe into Collem mine

2008-05-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

State told to probe into Collem mine

HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, MAY 15 — The Central Empowerment Committee of the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the State Government to probe into the Prafulla Hede mines at Collem, which is allegedly operating on forest land.
The CEC today ordered a probe and in a letter to the Chief Secretary asked the State Government to respond in the matter. It has asked the Government to find whether the mine was operating in violation of forest conservation rules.
A second letter has been made to the Chief Conservator of Forests to know how Prafulla Hede mine had encroached upon 1,000 sq m of forestland.
Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation had filed an urgent petition in the apex court against the mine.
On May 8, a team of CNN-IBN, led by its environmental editor Bahar Dutt and Alvares, had to face the wrath of the mine’s manager and his staff when they had gone to shoot the illegal mining operation.
A crowd that gathered around the team that day tried to snatch the camera, but luckily it managed to come of the place under police protection and save the tape, which had the footage of the illegal mining.
The footage was shown on CNN-IBN today and a repeat telecast of the same is scheduled on Friday morning.

VIDEO SHOWING COMPLETE VIOLATION CAUGHT BY CNN IBN

De Souza Trust Goa Scholarship 2008

2008-05-14T06:59:00.001-07:00

UK Scholarship for dynamic young Goan Indians
De Souza Trust Goa Scholarship 2008

The British Council invites young Indian men and women who are born of Goan parents or those who have been living and working in Goa for the past ten years to apply for the De Souza Trust Goa Scholarship for the forthcoming academic year. The Scholarship covers part or full tuition fees. The British Council arranges for a gratis UK visa for the duration of the course. All other costs are to be borne by the student.

The applicant should:

•be an Indian citizen
•be resident in Goa or born of Goan parents
•be not more than 35 years old
•have track record for excellence in academic or extra curricular achievement
•have confirmed admission for any technical/ vocational/ academic course of study in the UK for up to one year

Application forms can be downloaded from the website www.britishcouncil.org.in/scholarships

Completed forms must reach the British Council office in Mumbai (address below) by 30 June 2008.

De Souza Trust Goa Scholarships
British Council Division
British Deputy High Commission
Mittal Tower, C Wing, 2nd Floor,
Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021

For further information about the scholarship call Mrinal on 022-22790149 or email desouza.scholarships@in.britishcouncil.org

Goa People Movement Update

2008-05-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kalay locals upset over carbon project

SANGUEM, MAY 12 – Residents of Kalay-Sanguem are outraged over the proposed mega carbon project, which is likely to come in the village.
Speaking to Herald, a villager, Vinay Gaonkar, said a signature campaign is underway and the representations would be forwarded to the authorities.
The villagers are expected to gather in large numbers for the gram sabha, which is scheduled for May 25.
Villagers have claimed that the company, despite having large-scale mining operations in the village, has not paid any heed to grievances of the villagers.
“If the company sets up the project, the village would be destroyed on all fronts,” said one local.
“The site is near the Kalay River, which supplies water to Opa Water Treatment Plant. The water supply to Opa plant may be severely affected if the proposed plant is allowed,” added the local.
The villagers claimed that the site is also in close vicinity to the lone government-run agricultural farm in the village, which forms the basic source of fodder and fruit-bearing plants. To make matters worse, the veterinary hospital is also not far away from the proposed site.
The villagers have alleged that the company has started its process to approach the panchayat for NOC.
Claiming that Kalay village is already polluted due to activities of mining companies, besides an iron, sponge and steel manufacturing plants, villagers said they have hardly benefited from the operation of the mining companies.

Collem, Mollem locals threaten agitation

PANAJI, MAY 12 – Residents of Collem and Mollem (Sanguem) and Torsem (Pernem) have threatened to protest over different issues in their villages.
Collem correspondent adds: Residents of Collem and Mollem have threatened with protests of road blockade, if the authorities fail to start the hot mixing and widening of the remaining three-km stretch of the road between Godakawada-Bimbal and Mollem by May 31.
It may be recalled that the six-km stretch road from Mollem to Collem had been unattended by the authorities for more than six years. The road widening and hot mixing work, started in the last week of March and was completed upto Godakawada.

The contractor stopped the remaining work. The road has been largely used by buses, tipper trucks and others to ply along the Sanvordem, Margao, Ponda and Valpoi routes.
Pernem correspondent adds: Residents of Naik waddo and Katche temb of Torsem have threatened a morcha outside the Torsem panchayat on May 14.
The villagers are agitated over the panchayat’s failure to clear the illegal occupying and encroachment by some locals on the public road along the main road to Naika waddo-Torsem.
Locals have complained of traffic congestion due to illegal encroachments on the road. “We are demanding action for the last several months. We have now asked the sarpanch to act fast,” a local told Herald.

ENAULIM ROARS AGAIN

Dando meet vows to stop mega housing projects in State

BY HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, MAY 12 –
The Dando grounds at Benaulim resounded with cries against mega housing projects along Salcete’s coastal belt, with the people vowing to fight till the end to stop housing projects which are not in the interest of Goa and Goans.
Speakers also questioned the government’s silence in not taking cognizance of the ongoing movement against mega housing projects and warned that the people would rise up and show the ruling dispensation its due place.
“We shall not rest till the government stops all mega housing projects in the State. The battle is not just to stop the sale of Goa, but to protect the land of our ancestors for posterity,” thundered Fr Maverick Fernandes at the huge and impressive public meeting held at the Dando grounds on Monday evening.
The meeting held under the banner of Ganv Ghor Rakhonn Manch resolved that all mega housing projects be kept on hold till the Regional Plan is finalised on the basis of the Village Development Plans.
The meeting set the agenda for housing projects and requirements, demanding that all proposals of gated communities and mega projects must be scrutinised and studied by the Gram Sabha and that panchaayts and government agencies must facilitate the process of creating need based Village Development Plans with the active involvement of villagers.

The meeting further resolved that all new buildings should have the mandatory provisions for rain water harvesting, garbage management sewage treatment plants, planting of trees etc.
“We will strive to connect to all village movements and work together to secure our right as enshrined in the 73rd Amendment to the Constituency,” stated another resolution, adding that the basic needs of water, electricity and other needs of affordable housing be addressed on an urgent and priority basis.
In his spirited address, Fr Maverick Feranndes said Goa should remain for Goans and called upon the people to protect the State at all cost. The huge crowd said a firm No when Fr Fernandes asked whether they can afford to buy flats and bungalows costing lakhs of rupees. “For whom are these projects meant for. Are they in the interest of Goa and Goans,” he demanded to know.
Saying that people are forced to come on the streets to seek justice, Fr Fernandes said people of Goa have the strength to take on the might of the lobbies working against the interest of Goa and Goans.
He underlined the need to formulate Village Development Plans to protect the scarce land for the villagers and to determine the development in the villages.
Activist Ramesh Gauns asked the government to stop all mega housing projects in villages till a policy regulating housing is put in place.
“The government has no policy to regulate housing. The government has to come out with a policy,” he demanded.
Gauns called upon people to participate in the Gram Sabhas to make sure that no decision on mega projects be taken without public approval. “Neither the Panchayat nor an MLA or Minister can bring any project against the wishes of the people,” he added.
Women activist, Sabina Martins expressed her happiness that the people from Salcete’s coastal belt have come out to determine the nature of development in their area.
”Only local people should determine the development they want in their neighbourhood. Builders and others cannot dictate terms to local people,” she said.
She wondered whether Goa required mega housing projects at al when the population growth is negligible. “These mega projects do not add to Goa’s development,” she added.
Martins called upon the people to insist on preparation of a village development plan to determine their future.
Goa Hitrakhan Manch President Serafino Cota said the mega housing projects would bring in hordes of outsiders to the State. “These projects are being built without any requirements,” he said, adding that Goan builders should build affordable and economical housing that meet the requirements of Goan families.

Minguel Braganza enlightened the huge gathering about the planning needs of the villages. He said mega housing projects are not in the interests of the people.
He reminded that it were the people of Salcete who gave statehood to Goa when attempts were made to merge the State with Maharashtra.
GBA member Pravin Sabnis, Ida Coutinho, Elvis Gomes, Casiano Fernandes and others also spoke on the occasion.
PEOPLE’S PROTEST: In wake of the protests from various villages against the mega housing projects, the South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha today stated that the government needs to decide on the matter at the earliest.
Sardinha said that the government has to hold a meeting with the various NGOs, sarpanches and other representatives and chalk out a future course of action.
“It is high time we decide what we want either development or not,” he said.

The people’s opposition is mainly due to the existing infrastructure like water, electricity and roads and it has to be sorted out, he said.

Jai Hind

Navendu Shirali

Citizens garner support to save villages in Goa

2008-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

MARGAO, MAY 7 – These certainly are not political meetings as one would assume to be repeatedly taking place in Salcete’s coastal belt.

But, meetings of small groups of anxious and worried citizens garnering support to launch a sustained movement to preserve and protect their villages from being destroyed and degraded by builders with mega housing projects.
In a way, Salcete’s coastline – from Carmona to Varca, Benaulim and Colva – is playing host to meetings of local residents to take the ongoing disorganised battle against mega housing projects to its logical conclusion.
Herald understands that residents are being mobilised from village to village to bring them under one banner to save the villages from destruction.
Towards this end, the organisers are meeting in the villages with different groups working in the same direction and to organise a mammoth meeting at Dando ground Benaulim by next week.
Sources in the know say, the meeting will set out an agenda for the government and the local self-governing bodies on housing and the needs of local residents.
These meetings assumes significance given that state-level group titled Ganv Bachao Abhiyan is proposed to be launched shortly to save the villages for posterity.
“It is high time people opposing mega housing projects are being organized under one banner and fight the battle jointly”, remarked a prominent social activist, who has been actively involved in brining the various groups under one banner.
He observed that outside builders are slowly trying to set up projects along the state’s countryside, especially the coastal belt, taking advantage of the real estate boom.
“But, we local citizens are more worried about the existing infrastructure, which is pathetic and inadequate to meet the present requirements”, the activist said.
Meanwhile, the Vasvado ward of Benaulim saw residents of Tamdimati, Vasvado holding a meeting at Zarbo Khuris to object to a potential mega housing project in the area.
The meeting was addressed by Benaulim Villagers Action Committee (BVAC) activists, besides local citizens. A local residents, Michael Rodrigues set the ball rolling against the Panchayat body for keeping the concerned citizens in the dark about the construction projects.
BVAC Chairperson Geraldine Fernandes and Rudolf Baretto questioned the logic of the three Panchayat members for seeking explanation from a local Parish Priest.
The meeting also hold a meeting at Vaddie, Vaswaddo, Benaulim later this week. A meeting at Colva village was held this evening.

Chodan-Madel locals to revoke housing project licence

2008-05-08T09:47:00.001-07:00

PANJIM, MAY 6 – The Gram Sabha of Chodan-Madel panchayat on Sunday resolved to revoke the licence granted to a plush housing project in the village.At a heated debate in the Community hall, residents demanded that Sarpanch Prasad Chodankar revoke the licence granted for a ‘gated project’ involving five villas along with five swimming pools, stated a press note issued by former sarpanch Shrikrishna Haldankar.Members raised queries as to how the Delhi-based promoter was given permission to convert a cultivated paddy field at Madel for the project, despite opposition from the local panch.Members have demanded that henceforth no major project should be passed without the approval of the Gram Sabha.The resolution, moved by former sarpanch Rama Kubal and seconded by Mr Haldankar, was unanimously passed at the meeting.Cutting of hills and illegal filling of marshy areas was vehemently objected, with villagers calling upon Mr Chodankar to initiate prompt action on the perpetrators.Poor ferry service along the Ribandar-Madel route also came to the fore, with the formation of a 10-member committee to take up the issue to the River and Navigation Minister, the press note added.Irregular water supply and water scarcity was brought to the notice of Mr Chodankar, who promised to look into the matter. Queries were also raised as to how the PWD disconnected the public taps, without providing free water supply to the poor families.The Panchayat-level Development Committee could not be constituted at the meeting and is likely to be constituted at a specially convened Gram Sabha on May 25.

Invitation to Participate in Youth Conference 1st June to 8 June

2008-05-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

Hi,

It gives me great pleasure to invite you to participate in 'Lets Make A Difference' , the annual Youth Conference organized by IofC ('Initiatives of Change') at Asia Plateau, Panchgani, Maharashtra for the age group of 17 to 27 years. This is a 7 day residential conference which starts on the 1st of June 2008 and concludes on the 8th of June 2008. . Participants have to arrive before 3.00 p.m. on 1st June, those who are traveling long distance and convenient transport connections are not available, can arrive at Asia Plateau on 31st May, and can depart any time after lunch on 8th June.

During my graduation I was sent to this Conference by my Principal in 2002, ever since that I have been participating as it has helped me tremendously in my personal life, my family, my career and in my little contribution towards the society.

This conference aims to inspire and motivate youth to realize their inner strengths, to strengthen their value system and lead in their objectives contributing towards a cleaner, calmer and fairer world. To achieve this, we take the participants on an inward journey wherein they introspect and understand themselves better, thus helping them to initiate changes in their lives to make a difference. This would be done through various interactive and fun filled activities that would be conducted throughout the 7 days of the conference.

This Youth Conference is being conducted for over 10 years, attended by cross section of Indian Youth from various backgrounds and states. IofCis a non-profit organization which works for a better world by bringing out the best in people. It encourages every individual to find his or her unique contribution to the transformation needed in the world - starting with oneself.

I met young Indians, discussing and making road maps on how they can make a difference for making India a better Country. I saw young Journalism students choosing Rural Journalism from the comfortable metro stories; seen Harsh quitting his lucrative job for preparing for IAS. A young Goan, Dyson Misquita quitting his inherited restaurant business & placement job in National Aids Control Organization for working in Uttaranchal mountains for Health Programs. Deepa, an architect from Ankleshwar shared with audience that for many years she has never used a single plastic bag and she was instrumental in conducting moral value based Workshop for 75 school children. Zulfikar Khan a theatre artist, quit his mainstream work in Chandigarh and started night theatre schools for boys in slums, who would shoe shine or collect garbage. Next Generation of many businessmen committing to ethical standards in their business.

Each one asking themselves "How can I make the difference".

Dashmesh, from Nagpur who inherited his father's business empire had bought acres of land near wildlife sanctuary. It is in his introspection that he saw a power to transform the lives of youngsters in the nearby village who were glued to gambling, spurious liquor. He is now working towards rebuilding the schools, sponsoring the village youth to participate in Youth Conference.

Krishna Lohar, an young teacher from Jharkhand, decided to pursue his dream of building a school in an Adivasi area. In spite of all odds, he managed to make a school without paying a single bribe. A teacher from Panchgani spent a year teaching in Nagaland, as his contribution to bridge the gap between Nagas and Indians.

A young couple from IIM-A, gave up all their time for composing and singing songs that promote communal harmony. Power of inner voice is something special, my friend for example quit his corporate job in IBM Daksh to join Department of Agriculture in Karnataka. In last 6 months, he has been instrumental in building 85 greenhouses for farmers across North Karnataka.

It might sound as place for social realization. But that's incorrect, I have seen many siblings speaking and hugging to each other after many years. Relationships which were broken being bridged. Nuclear families coming together. I have seen a Hindu fundamentalist once arrested under TADA first time in his life hugging Muslim.

To quote my friend Bhanu " At a societal level, such individuals create an atmosphere of hope, honesty & healing which is essential for any development. Because they have taken steps of change in their own lives, they have faith that even others can change like their personal lives and their surroundings can become different. This empowerment is experiential and not just cerebral. They no longer feel cynical or apathetic, they become initiators of Change"

I urge you to participate in this year's 'Lets Make A Difference' Youth Conference, it truly will be amazing experience.

Let's Make A Difference - Brochure[http://www.dotsolhost.com/LMAD2008.doc]

Let's Make a Difference - Application Form [http://www.dotsolhost.com/LMADForm.pdf

For any queries please feel free to contact me, also inform your friends and relatives about this so they can join you.

Please read

Website : http://www.in.iofc.org/abt/faqs/

http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/Spiritual-travel/Life-MRA.asp

Jai Hind

On behalf of the Youth Team,

Navendu Shirali

Mobile-9342593393

THE GOAN UPRISING

2008-04-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

In this article I am not considering the presence of our Members of Legislative Assembly, their presence in our state is more focused on their survival of ministry and musical chairs. They will get their desired fate next elections. So this article is more focused on Government Employees and us, the citizens of Goa.

Once considered slow and peaceful Goans, are now showing signs of restlessness and relentless fight. Over last few months, I have met many Goans, who are restless with one question in their mind…“How can I contribute to make my state better”…it is this question that has realized into tremendous mass movements in pockets of Goa.

In the last few months, we have witnessed many mass movements in different parts of Goa,

the perseverant struggle of Carmona Panchayat against the real estate lobby,
Patient villagers in Siridao-Palem Panchayat now, expressing their voice
Tired villagers of Mollem panch Panchayat who have been fighting for decades for protection of their habitat are now vocal till the capital
Betul-Naqueri Canaguinim Citizens Action Committee (BNCCAC) and Nuem-Cola Bachao Andolan (NCBA) who are questioning the benefits of proposed Food Park.
Villagers in Aldona Panchayat fighting against proposed housing project at Lankdem-Panth in Carona-Aldona
the struggle of Cuncolim Citizens Action Committee against Delhi-based Vigneshwara Developwell Ltd
Awareness campaign of Save Goa in amongst buyers in Delhi at “Goa Real Estate Show”
the struggle of citizens in Colamb village, Sanguem Taluka led by Gawda, Kunbi, Velip & Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED) against mining company
closer to capital the never ending issue of Bambolim Project, (Many confused whether it’s a private villas or private hotel)
Lokancho Adhar – a non governmental organization, which has asked Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to immediately direct all the government departments and corporations to have a complete Citizens Charter within two months from now.
Uproar in social circles about the Amendment of Section 16 ,Town and Country Planning Act, enabling the government with greater powers to fast track so called development projects

Behind all these movements and struggle don’t lye political interests but lye’s the struggle of the “AAM AADMI” now battling for his survival. AAM AADMI is now JAAM AADMI, as one Journalist confided. The AAM AADMI is becoming tired and angry from exploitation of his silence.

There are many citizen protests which never make it to the newspapers, they go on, without our support and notice, many fighting for their survival in this materialistic world. Editors of many newspapers are compelled not to publish some of these stories due to stakeholder interests.

This article might sound anti-development. But the word development is double edged sword, as it depends on the beneficiary of this development.The bigger Question that should be asked on every table in the Government, Panchayat, architects, Collectors, Town and Country Planning, GCZMA, Citizens Committee and homes of all citizens is “DEVELOPMENT FOR WHOM?” Does it make the rich richer, and make the poor poorer? Does it increase the gap of have’s and have not’s? Does it increase migration? Does it make us self sufficient? Why are there protests?

Somehow, many policies and actions of Government occur without prior intimation and taking citizen’s confidence. There is greater disconnect between the planned benefits and ground reality level benefits. It’s apt for Government agencies to grumble that if they start asking Citizens for before every project, then there will be no implementation but only discussions. But there are ways to make discussions time oriented and mechanisms to make policies citizen friendly.

Government Officers, I have interacted say bring me 2 NGOs who can come on consensus. From their lens NGOs / Environmentalists are their enemies, as they seem to oppose everything that has come from their table. Some of the Government Officers feel that job creation should help Indians and not specifically Goans. So now lies the blame game. The Government Offices on one side and NGOs/ Citizen Movements on the other. And in between this animosity is GOA ON SALE. There is no platform were collectively policy making, policy management and execution is done mutually. A project is planned not by interviewing the demands and skills of the citizens but assumed benefits by the bureaucrats based on their experience.

For last 3 years, there has been rampant real estate housing construction. Have the bureaucrats identified number of locals who are staying in rented homes and their per capita incomes. Then what economic sense is it making by clearing residential projects which are not affordable to them.

Many Bureaucrats might disagree with my suggestion of working together with NGOs and Citizen Committee as they create never ending discussions. But, if these discussions don’t happen, then protests which are so far non violent might become violent, and one of the causes would definitely be overlooking proactive involvement of citizens. The fire of mass movement is spreading, and spreading fast, if the government doesn’t listen to these protests, its just a matter of time to see Goa erupt as another Nandigram. With villagers, students and AAM AADMI blocking the roads, burning the state machinery, kidnapping project developers and more anarchy which this state doesn’t need.

It is not right to just discard revolt in today’s India as just something that is creation of political benefits or environmentalist’s ideology. Many of us make love to make candid statements that this protest is done by that political rivalry or branding an NGO as Anti-Development. But in most cases the protests that are sustained with mass participation are genuine.

I have met many Goans, who sit comfortably in their home and love labeling certain social citizens who are fighting in these protests, as “Church or RSS lobbied” or “anti-development” or “BJP man” or “Communist”, and this habit has made all of them a nice seasonal patriot. Who based on the season and mood of the society would choose to show patriotic feelings. But when it comes to doing something for his land, he would choose get back to his excuses and labeling the doers.

Then there is a second kind of Citizens, the traitor who rests in the comforts of struggle fought by fellow citizens, with mind filled with cynism and hopelessness, with stereotype statements “Kai zavuche na” or “kuch nahi hoga is desh mein”. I hate this kind of traitor, because all they can do while their motherland is being sold is discourage others.

There lies another problem that I have observed many of the organizations or citizen committees, though fighting for the same objective are divided. They have non-visible differences, which comes out in private personal talk, a difference based of community, religion or political alliance. Net result many Politicians; Real Estate Developers and Unethical Corporate use them against each other. Something similar to the failure of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

There is some point that these protests are trying to make, many of them have hope that things will change for better. Its highlight of this state, that these protests have not become violent yet. Citizens still trust the government, judiciary, and their fellow citizens understand their struggle. They go to sleep, thinking someday this struggle might pay dividends. It is this hope that makes society change and evolves. Soon this society will evolve to extent that it will vote out any non performing government, Panchayat or MLA.

If this hope fades, it would become another Bihar, where mob justice is accepted. Where citizens collectively under rage and insanity triggered by frustration, income inequality and helplessness resort to violent means to punish.

A time has come, when we cannot just sit in with newspapers and reflect to our family that politicians have put this state on sale. No, time has changed, we as a society must adapt, we must as a family take some time off from our favorite TV programs and Sunday siesta to network with families and people fighting for a cause. We must spare some talk time of our mobile for not cricket & TV serials chatter, but something more meaningful. If we are aligned to political party, we must question our party workers, about what role can we play.

The politician sitting on opposition, must not wait for his chance to be in power. He must be out there without any political ideology supporting citizens in his area, giving them crucial information, inspiring them, not as a politician but just as another citizen or common man. But somehow, many citizens don’t trust any politician these days, they prefer them to be out of the frame. Especially after a South Goa based MLA hijacked the SAVE GOA purpose for political benefits.

Citizens I have met in Goa, make me realize that, they are now well aware, that this is their home, their country and they only must fix it.

In political theory, there are different forms of ideology, somehow the policies for the last 10 years, represent what happened in US. A free economy, making the rich, richer and poorer homeless; encouragement for companies to drift away from social obligation but profit motive.

Dear Bureaucrats, Civil Servants and Panchyats, and sensible MLAs:

I admire leadership style of personally visiting the problem area and interacting with masses as a common man, to get real ground situation. I am not aware whether the Judiciary or Administration is able to do this. If all decisions are based on just documents provided in the closed room, then many of these documents could mean something far away from the ground reality. I hope that the decision makers do visit the controversial sites just as ordinary citizens to witness the reality. I recollect a dialogue from the Movie Superman, “with greater powers come greater responsibilities”. In the corporate organization I work, I see more and more senior leaders defying their sleep limits to 4 / 5 hours, not for a higher pay but to beat the foreign competitor. I am aware of very few people in Government and Judiciary who practice selflessness. And I wonder, that perhaps it’s an individual choice.

To end, I would reiterate that we must find answers to, “How can I contribute to make my state better”… The initiative taken by every citizen can make a slow and strong mass movement, there is hope because the power is residing in every individual,
if one priest in church or temple discourses and guides the worshippers to take initiative, if one teacher guides students not only to be exam oriented but socially sensitive, if one journalist does investigative journalism exposing corruption, if one parent spends more time educating his family about the mass reality, if one citizen chooses not to bribe and be honest, if one of us stand up against injustice and illegality, then we can make a difference.
All we need to do is to introspect, on "how can I contribute".

I read this line from Frank Buchman,
"When man listens, God speaks,
When man obeys, God Acts,
When men change, nation change"

My message to the youth is from the movie Range de Basanti,

“Ab joh khun, na khola who paani hai,

Joh desh ke kaam na aye woh bekaar jawani hai….”

Choice is ours, to be a seasonal patriot, a traitor or take to initiative,

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali,

Email: navendu.shirali@gmail.com

(Consultant based in Bangalore, and Youth Coordinator of Initiatives of Change)

Complaint against Oceanic Bliss-Possible TCP Violation

2008-04-09T01:44:00.001-07:00

To 9 April 2008

Ms. Varthika

Town and Country Planning Department,

Government Office Bldg, 2^nd Floor,
Mapusa, Bardez - Goa.

Dear Madam

Subject- Possible breach of CRZ and Hill Cutting under TCP at Ozran -Little Vagator Beach

Respected Madam,

Enclosed herewith please find pictures of Oceanic Bliss, a shack hotel on hill of Ozran Beach-Little Vagator Beach (Hotel Telephone: 0832-645463)

On 25^th Jan 2008, I had personally met Mr. Morad Ahmed and informed him about this site. Urge to kindly inspect the site and investigate a possible violation of hill cutting and tree felling. On 12 March 2008, I had sent a similar complaint to Mr. Morad Ahmed but no action was taken.

I would like to personally follow up this, as this place has been extremely serene for all these decades and I am indebted towards its preservation. I request you to kindly investigate this site.

Kindly do the needful,

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

T2 Primavera,

Dr AB Road,

Panaji-Goa.

403001

Preferred Correspondence: navendu.shirali@gmail.com

Is Kadamba, missing the Bus?

2008-04-09T01:18:00.001-07:00

Article Published in Navhind Times

Saturday and Sunday are business holidays for the employees of Information Technology & Information Technology Enabled Services Industry. 600 kms from Bangalore, so called Silicon Valley of India is Goa, a suitable destination for a weekend escape. There are no official data available about the number of Goans working in Bangalore, but it is assumed that there are thousands of Goans working in Bangalore. During peak seasons such as Christmas, Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, all possible transportation means are flooded. Private buses sub contract new buses, trains add more compartments, Flights hike prices. Then begins the uncontrolled price discrimination.

On every Friday, there is only one train to Goa that too starts from Chennai via Bangalore to Margao, a journey that takes 15-16 hours from Bangalore. With irregular train service and expensive flights the largely middle class also known these days as "Aam Aadmi" is compelled to travel by Road Transport.

Now let us look at some facts about Road Transport from Bangalore to Goa:

Transport Name	No of Buses		Average Price	Seats	Daily Revenue	Season Buses Revenue
KSRTC Non AC-RAJAHAMSA	1		350	32	11200	0
KSRTC AC VOLVO	2 (+ 1 During Season)		803	25	40150	30000
Paulo Non AC	3(+ 1 During Season)		450	32	43200	14400
Paulo AC Volvo	2(+ 1 During Season)		800	25	40000	30000
Seabird	3(+ 1 During Season)		550	32	52800	24000
Sharma	2(+ 1 During Season)		450	32	28800	19200
Raj Travels	1		800	25	20000	0
	Total Buses=14 (+5 During Season)		630		236,150	117,600
Market Potential		Revenue in Rs.
Daily Revenue		353,750
Monthly Revenue		10,612,500
Yearly Revenue		127,350,000

These figures are based on assumption of a) full capacity, b) considering total revenue during season as base for yearly revenue. Figures need to be verified by respective private players.

So every day there at least 14 buses running and during season over 19 buses in this route. This route also has market potential of Rs. 10,612,500 per month in the next fiscal year..

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) during the peak season prioritizes its capacity, by adding another Volvo Bus and hikes the price to Rs.1200 per seat! To add to the competition, KSRTC has an online internet booking website and all private buses are available for online booking as well on www.redbus.in One thing that remains unchanged during this gold rush is the approach of KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED on this route.

Forget about online booking, it doesn't even have a website. Forget about website, total buses during peak season on this route go over 19, any guesses on how many buses KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED runs on this route…?

Shockingly one, yes one and that too is a Non AC Bus taking grueling minimum of 16 hours. Kadamba doesn't even have Volvo Bus running on this route unlike its counter part KSRTC. The KSRTC Volvo bus which leaves after an hour from Bangalore overtakes Kadamba even before getting out of Bangalore. Hopefully after reading this article someone in Ministry of Road & Transport or KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED might realize the business potential or opportunity cost. Perhaps they might add to their demand of additional buses. But that's not the point I am trying to make.

Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED needs to be more proactive in its planning and execution. It has to realize that majority tourists and Goans come to Goa by road and it should maximize its revenue which it loses to private and other efficient state transports such as KSRTC. All private buses and KSRTC not only bring passengers to Goa, their roof tops are laden with agriculture produce, flowers, fruits, vegetables, furniture from South East Asia, Movie CDs, and many unchecked containers.

I realize there that our State Goa is not self sufficient, but is Government getting its required share of revenue through taxes. Why there is no Government Officer periodically deployed while unloading these large cargo. If all road transports are getting creative to make more money, what is the Government of Goa waiting for? Other State Transports run into loss because there few high traffic routes, where as Goa is lucky, Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED need to cash in.

How much money does the Home State make out of this? For which I might have to apply for RTI Application and wait for 30 days.

I might be taking a random example of one particular route. But with my travelling experience Inter & Intra State, this complacency of Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED can be extrapolated. If KSRTC can be profitable, competitive and bring value to its commuters by offering value added services, then why can't Kadamba? They even have a travel magazine, mentioning places to explore, cross selling Tourism Products and Jungle Lodges.

Goa can be the first developed state of India by 2015. And one of the key drivers is better infrastructure and transport facilities. As we are on international circuit, we must have better roads and we can push neighboring states to improve their road conditions such as Dharwad Mollem road, so called National Highway still a mud road for over a decade. With no contractor assigned as per the NHAI website. Let's forget about pushing other states, how much time does the much concerned "Aam Admi" take to travel from Panaji-Mapusa, Panaji-Goa University, Kalem-GMC, Valpoi-GMC etc. Even in 2008, the entire rural side of Goa remains in contact with irregular bus service.

I remember how the Aam Aadmi was treated like cattle during the Zuari Bridge Repairs. He had to get down in the rain from bigger bus to smaller shuttle and then cross the bridge and board another bus. In the race to get a better seat, the women and old would always loose. The affluent, including the politicians and bureaucrats would just have to zip his car across the bridge admiring the river. (Hope this sentence doesn't inspire some builder to start an apartment for some "stressed" metro dwellers). I remember my heated debate with police stationed by Government to discipline the Aam Aadmi at Zuari Bridge with Lathis, I asked them how their conscious can allow them to sit comfortably in their police cars when their own citizens cramped into buses, requesting to at least help the old and pregnant women.

49.1% of Government employees have incomes below Rs. 7000 per month. One return bus trip for this employee will cost him 15%-20% of his monthly salary. How should this Aam Aadmi survive? Coming to the point, Are the public service providers creating a competitive scenario for better service? The role of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in policy making and execution is remarkable. Even BSNL is doing a good job, by forcing its telecom competitors to provide better value... Why can't Goa achieve this, do we lack the intellect or the will to change?

In my visit to Rural Goa, I have met many unemployed youth. As per the Directorate of Planning, Statistics & Evaluation which conducts the Census of Government Employees there are 1849 employees in Kadamba Transport Corporation. My question is with over a million tourists, and a million locals in the state, is that all the employment we can generate? As per Directorate of Planning, Statistics & Evaluation for a population of 13.48 lakh, about 1,01,847 persons remained on live register of Employment Exchange at the end of this fiscal year.

Out of 1200 Crores spent by Government in last year, only 2.25 % was spent on "Aam Aadmi" i.e. Rural Development, where as 10.25 % was spent on Transport. In the same statistics the length of road remained 9658.35 kms in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Now I don't know where those Rs. 123.58 Crores were spent in Transport Development. To seek the answer, I might have to travel to Goa and file another RTI Application for spend allocation.

Officers of Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED, have to really introspect, and move towards agility and adaptation to competition, opportunity costs and calculate loss of revenue by running sub standardized buses, old technology and old processes. Kadamba name belongs to an empire that remains in history of India, as an age of efficient governance and where satisfied citizens lived. It's a prestigious and visionary brand name which needs the desired sanctity. Are the present Minister, Bureaucrats, stake holders doing justice to this prestigious brand name Kadamba, if not it must be renamed to Siesta Travels? The least the Chief Minister can do is a surprise visit to the KTC Bus Stand and experience the urinal & garbage aroma that welcomes the Aam Admi every morning in his capital.

I remember one incident while travelling in Private Bus to Goa from Bangalore. The driver was compelled by the operator to delay the bus for 3 hours for 5 late passengers. The existing punctual passengers made repeated requests to proceed which turned to deaf ears. The same patient passengers became violent and took control over the bus. The mob confiscated bus driver's mobile and switched it off, and the mob told the operator that if the bus did not move the bus would be history.

Public patience is like that of a mother to a child. It is quiet, tolerant and humble, but someday the when the child, loses his moral values, brings bad name to the family, the mother holds the ear of the child and twists it till the child realizes its mistake.

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

(Writer is Consultant based in Bangalore)

Preferred Correspondence: navendu.shirali@gmail.com

Reply to Readers of Newspapers

2008-03-31T10:54:00.000-07:00

Due to shortage of time, i was not able to reply personally for every mail, so had to send this mail to all of them, my apologies.

"Hi,
Thanks for your feedback,
I strongly believe that "As I am, so is my nation"
it is upto us to rebuild a new Goa, a benchmark state for governance and citizen movement,

somehow in my introspection, i realized that there is no need for me to blame the government, the politicians, the society, i realized that before i expect the world to change, i need to change first, and hence i have tried in my small way to fight back. I have personaly taken interest to learn Right to Information Act, under which i have asked & presently fighting for information to show illegality, urge you to take intiative amongst your network of friends and relatives to make change,

The ripple effect has started, i read today that Gram Panchayat in Carmona, is up in chaos against a real estate project in their village,

In this journey, i have met many Indians anf Goans, who have fight alone, and unknown,

The intaitive taken by every citizen can make a slow and strong mass movement, there is hope because the power is residing in every individual,
if every priest in church or temple discourses and guides the worshippers to take intiaitive, if every teacher guides students not only to be exam oriented but socialy concious, if every journalist does investigative journalism exposing corruption, if every parent spends more time educating his family about the mass reality,
all we need to do is to introspect, on "how can i contribute",

I read this line from Frank Buchman,

"When man listens, God speaks,
When man obeys, God Acts,
When men change, nation change"

Wishing you the best,

Jai Hind,
Navendu Shirali
http://navendushirali.blogspot.com/

Goa on Sale Article published

2008-03-31T10:33:00.000-07:00

On 30 March 2008, both leading English newspapers of Goa, The Navhind Times and Oherald published my article .

The response of the article was tremendous than i expected, recieved many phone calls and sms from Goa. After my visit to Delhi, a strong inner voice on an early morning after a restless sleep made me type this article. I intially thought of mailing this article, exhibition collaterals, SAVE GOA flier to Goa Bachao Abhiyan, but was in 2 minds whether it will go to masses.
Then i thought of mailing it to Mathany Saldhana or Manohar Parrikar in Goa. Amidst dilemna i spoke to my close pal of Intiaitves of Change, Aswinikumar Mohapatra and Dr. Dyson Misquita.

Dr Dyson told me not to make it a political issue but make it a mass issue. As he gave up his trust on politicians. Aswinikumar kept aggressively convicing me that i must send it all influence makers in Goa, from newspapers, NGOs, politicians etc.
And thats what i did, made 15 envelopes with all awareness materials and couriered it to Goa.
Within a span of 2 days, it reached across many readers.

Here are some emails responses i got,

Elvira Alvares replies that

"Read the below article written, by you. Have read articles such as these…..not only on destruction of 'Goa' but many other places as well and I do get the feeling that there may be many people who want to do something about it, but what? And by the time we think of the answer, we've {or at least I... have moved to the next day and the next….}. I feel we need to find solutions to issues that are close to us, in terms of, those perhaps residing at Vagator, need to find solutions for that area {for a start!}. This however is my suggestion. What is your solution for your below note? "

Shaun Lobo replies that
"your article on the Goa Land Sale in Delhi was a great read. We need more people like you to stand up against the atrocious 'land grabbing' mentality of people who want to ruin and sell Goa for a price. May God always preserve his paradise - Goa and may man never ever come close to destroying it"

Vito Oliveira, President of Goan Association Germany replies that"really appriciate your time and effort for writing about Goas real estate market exhibition held in delhi.All what you said is absolutely true, Some of theseDelhietes have created a situation in Goa ,where owning a home for common man is a thing of the past.Thank you very much"

Ronita Torcato replies that

"Thank you for your insightful piece on Goa. The thing is Bombay used to be a clutch of seven islands, not too different, I would imagine, from Goa. The sepia toned pics that I have seen show a verdant place of coconut and banyan trees, and green hillocks and clean beaches. It's obvious Goa is going Mumbai's way. A concrete jungle. of matchbox apartments and slums. Thank goodness for small mercies, things haven't touched rock bottom and while there's life there's hope. Did you get the name or contact details of the activist by any chance? Best wishes"

Respected Architect Dean Dcruz replied that
"Appreciate your article in the Herald Mirror of Sunday, 30th Mar 08. It is really sad to see Goa become this commodity and Goans selling out for a few pieces of silver. Appreciate your concern and support. Kind regards, Dean "

Special thanks to editors of all newspapers for publishing this article, and above all thanks to the readers of this newspapers for replying.

Jai Hind,
Navendu Shirali

Obama Epic Speech 'A More Perfect Union'

2008-03-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, PA | March 18, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naÃ¯ve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

Goan with the Wind

2008-03-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

Rajdeep Sardesai :
In the early 1990s, Air India printed a calendar showcasing people from different states in their traditional costumes. The Goa portrait had a couple at a church wedding in bridal finery: the lady in a flowing gown, her partner in a jacket and tie. The publication sparked off protests within the Goan community, who accused the national carrier of portraying a flawed image of the state.

In a state where over sixty per cent is Hindu, the calendar was seen to reinforce the stereotype of Goa as a "westernised" Portuguese enclave. Ironically, the protests were led, among others, by the redoubtable architect Charles Correa, a Goan Catholic proud of his Saraswat Brahmin heritage, someone who was perfectly comfortable in his kurta pajama and Kolhapuri chappals. The protestors were successful enough to force a change in the calendar.

When the Air India Maharajah gets it wrong, what chance does the average Indian have of getting Goa right?
For decades now, Goa has been the victim of a rather perverted caricature: the stereotypical image of the state has been of a lazy, fun-loving coastal community with a weak moral core. Bollywood, often the trailblazer in setting cultural trends, did Goa no favours: the majority of Hindi cinema showed the Goan as the drunk Anthony Gonsalves-like character, a woman on one arm, a whisky bottle bottle in his pocket. Even the otherwise well made Dil Chahta Hai created the idea of Goa as the ultimate fantasy of the young Indian: girls were easy, sexual freedom guaranteed with the puritanical streak of the rest of the country absent here.

Rewind to the original "Goan" film, Bobby in the 1970s: find me a Goan fisherman's daughter who dresses in skimpy bikinis and shorts like Dimple Kapadia and I will buy you a villa next to Vijay Mallya's seaside bungalow in Candolim.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been easy to shake off the "live the good times" image of Goa, especially when the mainstream media has lapped it up so easily. If a few years ago, it was fish, feni and football that was considered to be the limit of Goa's vision, its now sex, sin and sand, courtesy the Scarlett Keeling controversy. For an increasingly tabloidish media, the Scarlett controversy is manna from heaven.

A teenage white woman drugged, drowned, possibly raped, perhaps murdered, on a beach in Goa by mysterious shack owners: what more can a carnivorous media ask for? Especially when there are enough close up pictures of a semi-nude Scarlett with marks all over her body, suggesting foul play and a possible cover up? That the area where the incident took place is notorious for drug peddling, that Scarlett herself appears to have had an active sex life, that the girl's truant mother has a past history of crime, and is now embellishing her public remarks with unsubstantiated allegations against Goa's top politicians, that Goa's netas and local cops have a terrible record in fighting crime, can the media really then be blamed for seeing this as a sensational crime story which will catch restless eyeballs?

But Scarlett's story is not simply another whodunit, nor does it fit in within the "fight for justice" framework that in the aftermath of the Jessica Lal case seems to have become the new war cry for a section of the media. Instead, the Scarlett saga lies at the heart of a more abiding conflict between diverse cultural strands of Goa: between licentiousness and piety, between new world normlessness and old world certitudes.

There is the Goa of the beachcombers, of the hippies who discovered Baga in the early 70s, of the rave parties, of paedophilia, of decadent hedonism. But there is also the Goa of deep social conservatism, of folk religiosity in its village temples and churches, of simplicity of lifestyle within rural communities, of a premium on education and of immense pride in its plural, multi-cultural heritage. The Goa of a tiny strip of beach between Candolim and Anjuna is constantly in the media gaze and makes front page headlines. The vast majority of Goans who live outside this world are rarely documented because their lives seem much too unexciting to be explored. Historians and anthropologists have done much to unravel the "real' Goa, but for the national media, it is so much easier to reduce an entire people to a tourist brochure .

Indeed, Goa's tourism industry - earning the state approximately 10,000 crores in foreign exchange per annum -- has been at the heart of the modern-day mythification of the state as some form of a sexual paradise. It is estimated that around 25 lakh tourists come to Goa each year, a vast majority of them local tourists, eager to explore the "idea" of being in a "free" state, free from the restrictions of middle class attitudes. Only a fifth of the tourists who visit the state each year are foreigners, most of them looking for a cheap holiday. The Caribbean is too expensive, the Costa del Sol not exotic enough and Australia too far: so why not clamber onto a chartered plane to a land of the "carnival"?

Unfortunately, the postcard image of Goa often has little connection with the living reality of its people The result is a clash of cultures that has partly shaped the debate over the Scarlett issue.
For many Goans, the foreign tourist is a needless intrusion into their community life . Even now, the idea of any form of nudity on the beaches offends Goans, at times even the sight of a half clad gent on a bike troubles villagers. Which perhaps explains why very few Goans seem to have any sympathy for Scarlett's mother, shocked as they are by her decision to leave her teenage daughter behind and travel to neighbouring Karnataka on her own. The Keelings' behaviour offends Goan sensibilities, it reopens lingering fears of a traditional society being overrun by the "outsider". That a young girl might have been raped and murdered by locals doesn't seem to concern a majority of Goans as much as it should.

And yet, the real threat to Goa's cultural identity does not lie in the lifestyle of the tourist, confined as they are to a small stretch of the state. In fact, in a state with limited employment opportunities, Goa needs to attract more, not less tourists.

The critical threat to Goan society instead comes from within: from the brazen sale of priceless real estate to those who have little stake in the state's future . It isn't the influx of tourists which should trouble Goans as much as the growing influence of the builders and construction agents who appear determined to destroy the state's environmental treasure in violation of all existing laws. While Goa's politicians go into cataclysms over the Scarlett case, how many of them have bothered to raise their voice against the virtual auction of the state to land sharks? Is it any surprise that in a state which has seen as many as 19 chief ministers in 21 years of statehood, politicians have lost the moral authority to speak up on the issues of governance that really matter to the average Goan?

Frankly, the challenge before Goa today is not the one which is being posed by a Scarlett-afflicted media: a permissive drugs and drink culture might make for good television, its not central to Goa's impending identity crisis.

The real challenge for Goans is whether they can preserve the uniqueness of their land by ensuring that it doesn't become another concrete jungle. Environment may not make sensational headlines like a murder can, but in the long run, preventing environmental degradation can alone secure Goa's future.

Post-script: Let me also debunk another stereotype: the "desai" in my surname often leads people to presume I am Gujarati. The fact is that my father was a Goan, and I am proud to be one too.

http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/50559/goan-with-the-wind.html

Lackluster Sale of Goa

2008-03-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Published Article

Destiny permitted me to attend Goa Property Show organized by Magicbricks.com (TIMES BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LTD) at Tivolli Gardens, Delhi on 15th & 16th March 2008. I am not sure, about the expectations of the Developers who had their stalls. As low turnout was seen on the first day with less than 300 viewers registered. Shockingly for me, most of the real estate developers were based in Delhi, NCR, one even from Kanpur. With all showing images and videos of ready to move properties and dream homes to the affluent “Delhiites”. With typical sales promises such as “When do you plan to visit Goa next, just give me a call, we will pick you up at the airport and take you to the site”

Some of the developers who had their stalls were Acron, Linc Property Developers, Chowgule Real Estate & Construction, Integriti Real Estate Developers, Nirvana, Nest Buildcon, Jai Bhuvan Builders and Rivera Construction, Tarika Lifestyle, Bullion Limited, Expanse India Buildcon, Geo Realtors, Gold touch Developers & Promoters, Decolive Realty Developers, Le Gardenia, Akar Creations, Property Management group, and Heritage Real Estate Developers.

It was sad to see, that many Young Goans at these stalls mentioning how easy it is to get a home near the sea. It was painful to see many sales representatives and developers talking & mispronouncing almost all places in Goa where they had development plans. Just made me, realize how easy it is to buy, develop and sell properties in Goa for anyone without even knowing the name of place, its culture and its people. One stall named Goodwill, run by young Goans, mentioned how they would get any kind of property from Plots facing beach or Hill side near sea. “Just send me your requirements and give me few weeks to get back with various options” were his words.

Another painful sight was the selling of plots and apartments in enchanted serene side of Goa such as
· Assagao by Expanse Buildcon and Delhi based Decolive,

· Kanpur based Geo Realtors’s project near Nagoa Church,

· Riviera Constructions “Foothills” Project and Integriti Developers’ “Aldeia Miraflor” Project in Arpora village.

· Delhi based Nirvana Nest Projects in Vagator, Anjuna, Aldona, Bogmallo

· Chowgule Real Estate Project “Meadows” in Paithona, Bardez.

To balance the equation of much hyped Goa Real Estate Show, was an unnamed Goan outside the exhibition area, who was distributing pamphlets with SAVE GOA printed on them, spreading the awareness amongst the visitors / buyers to be extra cautious when anyone promises them home near the sea, as it could violate the Goan Laws of CRZMA and Town & Country Planning Act (Hill cutting). Pamphlet mentioned “Unprecedented Demand in Real Estate is killing Goa’s Natural Beauty, where once existed serene beaches is now filled with concrete cement & high walls.” Going a step further he urged them to control their aspirations and profit motive to preserve a better Goa for the next generation.

There seems to be greater interests in the audience to know about the feelings of the locals. He mentioned that just as the Real Estate lobby, he was doing his job of listening to his inner voice of spreading the awareness of Socio-Cultural and Environment impact of these affluent projects. In apt words he quoted his friend as “Wrong will always remain wrong, even if everyone does it. Right will always remain right, even if no one does it.”

Image: SAVE GOA Pamphlets being distributed at exit of Exhibition Area

There were more surprises at this event, a Delhi based real estate developer –GoldTouch had plans to start a 5 floored apartment named Ruby Residency with 70 flats in the forests of Chawdi, Canacona. The Developer softly mentioned that there was a “nominal fee” of Rs. 50,000 for Water and Electricity Connection per apartment. I was surprised with his confidence in alien state when the Director mentioned about Read to Move Apartments near Patnem Beach. I wondered possible violations of hill cutting by projects such as Clairemont in Kadamba Plateau overlooking Mandovi in pursuit of providing “Priceless view from your apartment” starting from a crore.

Another surprise was many of brochures had the prices in Sterling Pound, I wondered how many Indians would like to use that currency. It was extremely evident that there is a greater story for selling the properties to NRIs and possibly Foreigners. Chowgule Real Estate Project “Meadows” in Paithona, Bardez also distributed CDs which started with video of Google Map showing journey from Great Britain to Paithona, Goa it seemed like a fairy tale in search of abode.

Another sad observation was the architecture of these upcoming projects. All seemed to be extremely lucrative and cost effective, a typical metro architecture. I wondered why Goa unlike some states in the world doesn’t have a set architecture pattern set, based on its unique Hindu-Portuguese Architecture much expressed in museum Houses of Goa. With no such legislation, Goa is all set to become an apartment complex filled with pigeon boxes for Indian families. With so many real estate projects in pipeline far away from the affordability standards of the large Goan Middle class, I wonder who would buy them. Question than arises as there is existing problems such as sewage, garbage disposal, malaria, pollution, traffic jams, water and electricity shortage, expensive private healthcare, drug trafficking, prostitution, foreign land mafias, etc. Will the office bearers, Panchayats and Government be held responsible for the “unprecedented” real estate splurge and its collateral damage as well as aggravation of existing problems? Do we fix the problems first and then start the real estate bandwagon.

To the Change the Land Rules, What is Goan Government waiting for? Another Land Scandal, Another Foreign Mafia Expose, Another exponential crime rate with greater disparity between the rich and poor, or Another “Aam Aadmi” movement to vote the Government out. All politicians in the recent turbulent political history of Goa are remembered for all the wrong reasons from greed to power hunger. I often dream to see Goa as the first developed state of India, I wonder where are the leaders to take Goa there. Perhaps many of them, selfishly driven with no time to introspect their cause to be remembered as martyrs of Development.

Back in Bangalore, I wondered why none of the Real Estate lobby thinks of sustainable and affordable homes for the poor and deprived staying in slums of Chimbel. Perhaps it was all about profit motive and greed. On introspection, I could relate to it, as many of my breed of IT Consultants choose to work for development of Global MNCs rather than Indian Rural Sector improving Public Distribution Systems, Traffic Management Systems etc. All I hope is that this realization turns into execution.

I conclude with words ringing in my mind of the activist outside Goa Real Estate Show that “Wrong will always remain wrong, even if everyone does it. Right will always remain right, even if no one does it.”

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

(Writer is Consultant in Bangalore)

Encl: Photos of Exhibition - Goa Real Estate Show

Preferred Correspondence: navendu.shirali@gmail.com

Govt of India Online Grievance Forum

2008-03-19T08:51:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Chandni Parekh <chandni_parekh@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Subject: Govt of India Online Grievance Forum
To: chandni.parekh@gmail.com

Forwarded message...

Dear All

Can you imagine this happening in INDIA ?

Government of India has an online Grievance forum at http://pgportal.gov.in/ or http://darpg-grievance.nic.in/

The government wants people to use this tool to highlight the problems they faced while dealing with Government officials or departments like Passport Office, Electricity board, BSNL/MTNL, Railways etc etc.

I know many people will say that these things don't work in India , but this actually works as one of our colleague in CSC found. The guy I'm talking about lives in Faridabad . Couple of months back, the Faridabad Municipal Corporation laid new roads in his area and the residents were very happy about it. But 2 weeks later, BSNL dugged up the newly laid roads to install new cables which annoyed all the residents including this guy. But it was only this guy who used the above listed grievance forum to highlight his concern. And to his surprise, BSNL and Municipal Corporation of faridabad was served a show cause notice and the guy received a copy of the notice in one week. Government has asked the MC and BSNL about the goof up as its clear that both the government departments were not in sync at all.

So use this grievance forum and educate others who don't know about this facility.

This way we can at least raise our concerns instead of just talking about the ' System ' in India . Invite your friends to contribute for many such happenings.

Thanks,
Padma

Save Goa Awareness in Delhi "Goa Real Estate Show"

2008-03-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Around 150 pamphlets were distributed at Goa Real Estate Show (http://property.magicbricks.com/property_fair/goashow/contactus.html) by unknown Goan Activist.

The attempt was with the objective to spread awareness amongst the visitors / buyers to be extra cautious when anyone promises them home near the sea, as it could violate the Goan Laws.

This is the pamphlets distributed:

Unprecedented Demand in Real Estate is killing Goa’s Natural Beauty, where once existed serene beaches is now filled with concrete cement & high walls.

We, citizens of Goa urge you to control your aspirations and profit motive to preserve a better Goa for the next generation.

As buyer, please ensure your property doesn’t violate Goa Coastal Regulation Zone and Goa Town & Country Planning Act

If the buying stops, so will the selling.

SAVE GOA

Request for Starred & Unstarred Questions on 123 Agreement & Hyde Act

2008-03-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Shri Shripad Naik,

Member of Lok Sabha,

7, Raisina Road ,
New Delhi-110 001

Respected Sir,

Subject: Concern and Questions over 123 Nuclear Agreement & Hyde Act

Dear Sir,

I am citizen of Panaji, Goa. I have been greatly concerned about the 123 Nuclear Agreement to be signed as UPA Government. I request you to kindly help me in getting answers to the following questions I have. I hope that as a member of Lok Sabha, and member of Opposition, you can certainly guide and help me with information.

After going through Nuclear 123 Agreement, as a common citizen with my present knowledge, understanding and maturity following are some of my views and questions. (This might change over period of time with more information)

We as a country have to consensus on 3 objectives before we get into this agreement:

Strategic Alliance-The clear objective that has to be discussed with nation at large is, Is India a threat to US as much as what US Can be threat to India? If US is considered as threat, by consensus, than we must not choose to go ahead with deal for sharing information to such depths. If consensus considers relationship as Ally, then information sharing is good.

Energy Vision- India has a major energy crisis on cards due to the ever growing Industrialization, exponential demand and regular power cuts in Rural India. Hence, a clear energy gap. As of present, Nuclear Energy is one of the best options to meet this demand or address crisis in the fastest and largest way. As large scale Energy is created in fastest time. But what are the threats we are presently having in India. We have over hundreds of Terrorist Organizations already against India, from Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, to Naxalites. With establishing of several nuclear reactors across India, do we invest more in their security to avert possible long term damage to our fragile environment. Why have developed economies in Europe, moving away from Nuclear Energy to alternative energy such Wind, Tidal etc. Is there some negative experience they have about Nuclear Energy? Since its just one planet we will be using Nuclear Energy, and then dumping nuclear waste on this same sensitive planet or country. Isn't this man-made technology creating more damage compared to existing methods of non polluted power generation? If the present Nuclear Energy vision of present governments backfires in future causing irreparable damage to society and environment, then will these 2 governments be held responsible and subject to prosecution. How much percentage of energy demand will met by Nuclear Energy? Does Nuclear Energy Vision contradict global movements on Climate Change?

Competitive Scenario- Is the domestic Indian Nuclear companies ready for competition with US or will they be compelled to collaborate rather than compete. What is the FDI Policy for this sector from commissioning of Nuclear Plants to importers / exporters of machinery, technology and raw materials?

The Agreement has its positives and negatives for both countries. Positives for India refers to assistance of technology, management expertise in enrichment, research tie-ups, lifecycle support, IAEA as referee, easier exchange of experts, transparency, greater trust between 2 countries making stronger alliance and policies enabling faster execution of projects to meet the energy demand .

A. Following are some of the Grey areas in the Articles of the 123 Nuclear Agreement:

Article 3-

Will the information under this article between 2 countries be accessible to private Nuclear Companies?
The article refers to control of information by both countries which it considers as Restricted Data. What kind of data will be considered as Restricted Data? Can this Restricted Data be very relative in both countries?
Article refers to sharing of Research Information- But what about possible IP discovered in India or US, isn't that information to be kept confidential?

Article 4-Nuclear Trade-

Nuclear Trade as such is more viable and profitable to American Companies than Indian. The clause of addressing applications of nuclear companies within 2 month period ensures faster access to Indian energy market. Will the same period of 2 months be given to other nations such as France and Russia?

Article 5-Transfer-

Are we ready for exchange of low enrichment uranium & technology for energy needs in return to easier access to market and critical security information?
If disruption of fuel occurs due to unavoidable circumstances, then both countries will jointly convene a group of friendly supplies from Russia, France and UK. Why jointly and no independence for India to establish supply channels from these nations.

Article 7-Storage & Retransfer- Sharing of list of facilities-

· If Information pertaining to Nuclear Program, locations and research activities are not available to Indian Citizens under Right to Information Act 2005, then how justifiable is it, to make it available to certain departments of another country, whose citizens are not under the jurisdiction or control Indian Administration?

· Which offices private and public in both countries will hold this information?

· Agreement does not refer to trial or compensation relief for any leakage of confidential information.

· With US having strategic alliance with Pakistan, is there possible sharing of sensitive information to our historically violent brother.

· Will US be compelled by Pakistan to offer complimentary arms support and technology, creating another arms race in Indian Sub-Continent?

Article 10-Access to IAEA on all Inventories-

US have only one visible balancing power that is Russia. Where as India has Pakistan and China. Will such information made to IAEA be considered sensitive to India though it might refer to Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy?

Article 11-Environmental Protection

There is No mention of compensation to society in case of any damage to environment or citizens. Our learning from Bhopal Gas Tragedy has to be understood by Policy makers. Where senior management of Union Carbide / Dow Chemicals are still liable for punishment, will senior management of companies and governments be held responsible for any possible further such cases.
If there is 2 month period for addressing grievances of companies doing business, why no time period fixed for compensation or punishment?

Article 14- Termination & Cessation of Agreement

Agreement applies for a period of 40 years, with one year advance notice for termination and possible withdrawal of technology, raw materials and end products.
If India develops its Research Strength in next 20-40 years, is it in strategic benefit to choose to share research information. Similarly is it benefit to US to do the same?

Some other questions un-answered are:

· What percentage of energy demand in next 25 years is going to be met with Nuclear Energy? What is number of Nuclear Reactors planned by Indian Government to be established in next 25 years. A control over number of reactors is needed to maintain the balance of dependency on nuclear energy due to its high environment problems. Free market attitude will create over production pushing our natural resources to its limits.

· Present Policy doesn't cover measures to tackle Kickbacks. As India has been very susceptible and many times compromised on several areas such as licenses, health and safety etc. Policy must ensure transparency in dealings and faster trial processes with both countries such as extradition treaty, freezing bank accounts of suspects, etc.

· Since the pool of Nuclear Scientists in India is limited, same pool of scientists might be playing dual role or later be involved in nuclear defense related work. Information regarding such profiles is usually considered confidential for security purposes. Present Agreement enables disclosure of such profiles in form of meetings, exchange visits etc. to private and public offices. Where there is possibility of leakage of information again.

· Agreement fails to address details of Nuclear Waste Management and Rehabilitation measures. If there join commissions to establish implementation of this agreement a necessary body has to be developed whose officers will be held accountable for nuclear waste disposal, management and rehabilitation.

B. Following are certain controversial sections within Hyde Act which needs National Debate:

A. Indian Sovereignty in deciding its foreign policy is debatable:

As per Hyde Act,

SEC. 103. STATEMENTS OF POLICY.

(b) WITH RESPECT TO SOUTH ASIA.—The following shall be the policies of the United States with respect to South Asia:

SEC. 104. WAIVER AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.

(2) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED.—

(G) A description and assessment of the specific measures that India has taken to fully and actively participate in United States and international efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability and the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel

SEC. 104. WAIVER AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.

(E)(i) REPORTING TO CONGRESS.—

(2) IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE REPORT.—

(E)(i) an assessment of whether India is fully and actively participating in United States and international

(I) the measures the United States Government has taken to secure India’s full and active participation

in such efforts;

(II) the responses of the Government of India to such measures; and

(III) the measures the United States Government plans to take in the coming year to secure India’s full and active participation;

B) Based on the above, following are the questions I have:

If US is arm twisting our foreign policy to disarm Iran. Why cannot we, as the second largest energy market, ask US to take similar steps to disarm Pakistan as for terrorists to acquire Nuclear weapons Pakistan is more vulnerable than Iran.
What happens to cultural ties with Iran, and days of Non Alignment Movement? Has the Indian Government taken into confidence the large Indian Muslim population who sympathize with Iran?
Section 103, b.1 “(1) Achieve, at the earliest possible date, a moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear explosive purposes by India, Pakistan, and the People’s Republic of China.” I would like to know what the Indian Government’s opinion on this.

Sir, kindly help me, in getting these questions answered. I feel these legislations can impact the future of our country, and I hope there is a national consensus on them.

Jai Hind

Navendu Shirali

T2 Primavera,

Dr. A B Road,

Panaji-Goa

403001

Preferred Correspondence: Email-navendu.shirali@gmail.com

Complaint for possible TCP Violation in Little Vagator Beach

2008-03-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

To 12 March 2008

The Town Planner,

Town and Country Planning Department,

Tiswadi Taluka, Office,

Patto- Citicenter,

Panaji-Goa.

Dear Sir,

Subject- Possible breach of CRZ and Hill Cutting under TCP at Ozran Beach-Little Vagator

Sir,

Enclosed herewith please find pictures of Oceanic Bliss, a shack hotel on hill of Ozran Beach-Little Vagator Beach.

On 25^th Jan 2008, I had personally met Mr. Morad Ahmed and informed him about this site. Urge to kindly inspect the site and investigate a possible violation of hill cutting and tree felling.

I would like to personally follow up this, as this place has been extremely serene for all these decades and I am indebted towards its preservation.

Kindly do the needful,

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

T2 Primavera,

Dr AB Road,

Panaji-Goa.

403001

Preferred Correspondence: navendu.shirali@gmail.com

Ethical Governance Workshop

2008-03-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

The participants and Catalysts (Faculty and IofC members)

The team of Intiatives of Change, Bangalore conducted Ethical Governance Workshop for Officers of Secretariat, Vidhan Soudha was a grand success. Some of the moments of the workshop are briefly highlighted in these images.

Towards the completion of the workshop, every participant in their group, presented change and initiatives they will take.

Leni Mathew Group

Dr. Ravindra Rao's Group

Mrs. Chitra's Group

Dr. Amit' Group

Skit Presented by Employees of Secratariat, a day at Office before the Workshop and a day at Office after Workshop. This skit is a beacon of hope that much can change in Government Offices. (Picture showing one of the Government Officers acting as enraged citizen fighting for his rights)

More pictures

Aswini Mohapatra's famous skit of "If not NOW, then WHEN"
A skit, that sends powerful message of Stand, Arise, and Fight, an message to empower every Government Officer to start the change from now.

Special thanks to Chief Coordinator- Dilip Patel for anchoring the entire workshop and making it a grand success.

In his own words Dilip summaries the workshop as
" Dear all,

A big thank you to all in making the just concluded w/s with the staff of the Secretariat, GOK a big success.

Ravi for being available throughout, and setting the tone of the inner development along with the inimitable Amit. The session on relationships created a good discussion amongst the participations beyond the classroom!

Amit was superb in every thing he did- be it the songs (solo, and with Ravi as well as in chorus with others), or the sessions on 'unmasking', 'from here to there', and sharing the stories of rural school and turning around of the hospital as the project born out of QT triggers etc They were all indeed invaluable.

Deepak Mullick, as usual, cast his magic through the session on 'ethical governance' and 'honesty', replete with his stories of giving back many fold to his University, his parents, and later charting the path of honesty and growth in the corporate world.

Sarosh, with his slightly altered presentation on Leadership, Love and Fear etc created a deep impression on the participants. some continuing discussion wit Sarosh at the lunch table was the testimony.

Leni's trust dances, and the appreciative inquiry did the expected magic by creating impact about importance of trust in relationships, and team building, and making each and every participant aware of their own potentials, values and talents which had worked for them under adverse conditions.

Pravir's presentation on 'building bridges' was amazing. Personal contemporary stories of apology and restitution in family, work place and the social environments with documentary evidences presented did an exemplary job. Pravir was never in such elements before! Keep it up Pravir, kudos to you.

Prof. RR came in as a fresh breeze, and swept away every one with the facts and figures about the environmental issues. His presentation compelled us to think that no future programs will be complete without the session on environmental concerns. Thank you, sir, for sparing your valuable time. It was truly an eye opener experience for many.

Aswini , Navendu and Arjun handled the post dinner programs with zeal and maturity. They earned the admiration and respect from the 'younger' lot. Decision by a few of the participants to send their children/friends to up coming youth conference at Asia Plateau was a testimony enough. Cheers to you guys.

Lakshmi brought a new talent in the form of Prabha who invoked the Gods with her melodious voice, apart from participating with full enthusiasm. Apart from this, Lakshmi and the other senior facilitators handled the family group meetings with maturity and wisdom.

Saju and Suresh managed the entire admin in front, and behind the scenes effectively. I must thank Jija too here for rendering the silent services.

So, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It was a great team effort."

Baramati Youth Conference & Bangalore-Ethical Governance Workshop

2008-03-02T22:04:00.001-08:00

From 28th Feb to March 2^nd, our Youth team from Initiatives of Change led by Viral Mazumdar conducted a Youth Conference in Baramati for over 180 students.

It was my misfortune for not being able to participate in this Conference, due to unavoidable roadblocks. Nevertheless, the response of the conference was "terrific" as per Vipul with students developing a strong bond with our Youth Team. It was emotional separation at the end of the conference.

Our close aide, Aswini Mohapatra, from Bangalore participated with full gusto and had immediate fellowship. I am awaiting a detailed report on this from Vipul Shaha. I hope the young leaders emerging from Baramati attend the much admired annual Youth Conference at Panchgani in June 1^st week.

Meanwhile in Bangalore, our team had a final meeting for the Ethical Governance Workshop to be conducted this week from March 4th- March 7th for 30 respected Officers from Secretariat, Karnataka Government Bangalore. This time the chief coordinator for the workshop is Mr. Dilip Patel.

Following are Dilip's words about the workshop-"'Ethical governance of the self, by the self and for the self in relationship with the self, family, work place and the society/nation at large. The program is designed with the intentions of creating learning environment to enable the participants to have insights into their behaviors, and the implications there of in the family, work and social setups. Behaviors stem from values and beliefs we hold. Some of them may not be even known to us consciously. The program will present several mirrors to the participants to 'see' the values and beliefs they hold. The important values that influence our behavior in respect of our relationships, and leaderships in context with the family and work/social settings that are likely to emerge through the process works of the program are love, fear, honesty, trust, greed, jealousy, selfishness etc. The drivers to these values would be individual's perceived pursuits for happiness, success and longevity. Various faculty members from amongst you all will bring out one or the other aspects of these values. The essence of Initiative of Change, viz. quiet time (introspection, inner voice ) , apology and restitution, measuring one's purity, love, honesty and unselfishness against the absolute standards will be offered, together with the stories of personal change by the faculties as the powerful tools to carry home for their regular use.

The end results aimed at are to induce a resolution of initiating a personal change in their behaviors towards truly becoming a healthier, happier and more successful member of the family, community and the country in an inclusive manner. Be the change you desire to see in others is the motto."

Our team of Initiatives of Change in Bangalore has conducted similar workshops for over 90 Government Officers of District Municipal Administration. With a prayer in heart and confidence we are approaching this workshop.

Next Step from Study of 123 Agreement

2008-03-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

Once these questions i have raised are refined. I would have to approach the Member of Parliament Goa or Bangalore to ask these as starred questions in parliament.
The answers would help me as a citizen decide my viewpoint and empower the trust in the Government of India that it has taken holistic view while approaching this agreement.

Indo-US Nuclear 123 Agreement

2008-02-27T21:53:00.001-08:00

After much procrastination, I decided to read complete details of all laws governing the India –US Nuclear Energy Cooperation. I was confused on what my personal stand is. For which I decided to do my independent study.

Please find copy of the Agreement For Co-operation between the Government of India and United States of America concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear energy.

After going through this document, as a common citizen with my present knowledge, understanding and maturity following are some of my views and questions. (This might change over period of time with more information)

We as a country have to consensus on 3 objectives before we get into this agreement

Strategic Alliance-The clear objective that has to be discussed with nation at large is, Is India a threat to US as much as what US Can be threat to India? If US is considered as threat, by consensus, than we must not choose to go ahead with deal for sharing information to such depths.If consensus considers relationship as Ally, then information sharing is good.
Energy Vision- India has a major energy crisis on cards due to the ever growing Industrialization, exponential demand and regular power cuts in Rural India. Hence, a clear energy gap. As of present, Nuclear Energy is one of the best options to meet this demand or address crisis in the fastest and largest way. As large scale Energy is created in fastest time. But what are the threats we are presently having in India. We have over hundreds of Terrorist Organizations already against India, from Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, to Naxalites. With establishing of several nuclear reactors across India, do we invest more in their security to avert possible long term damage to our fragile environment. Why have developed economies in Europe, moving away from Nuclear Energy to alternative energy such Wind, Tidal etc. Is there some negative experience they have about Nuclear Energy? Since its just one planet we will be using Nuclear Energy, and then dumping nuclear waste on this same sensitive planet or country. Isn't this man-made technology creating more damage compared to existing methods of non polluted power generation? If the present Nuclear Energy vision of present governments backfires in future causing irreparable damage to society and environment, then will these 2 governments be held responsible and subject to prosecution. Does Nuclear Energy Vision contradict global movements on Climate Change?
Competitive Scenario- Is the domestic Indian Nuclear companies ready for competition with US or will they be compelled to collaborate rather than compete. What is the FDI Policy for this sector from commissioning of Nuclear Plants to importers / exporters of machinery, technology and raw materials

Coming to the Grey areas in the Articles of the Agreement:

Article 3-

Will the information under this article between 2 countries be accessible to private Nuclear Companies?
The article refers to control of information by both countries which it considers as Restricted Data. What kind of data will be considered as Restricted Data? Can this Restricted Data be very relative in both countries?
Article refers to sharing of Research Information- But what about possible IP discovered in India or US, isn't that information to be kept confidential?

Article 4-Nuclear Trade-

Nuclear Trade as such is more viable and profitable to American Companies than Indian. The clause of addressing applications of nuclear companies within 2 month period ensures faster access to Indian energy market. Will the same period of 2 months be given to other nations such as France and Russia?

Article 5-Transfer-

Are we ready for exchange of low enrichment uranium & technology for energy needs in return to easier access to market and critical security information?
If disruption of fuel occurs due to unavoidable circumstances, then both countries will jointly convene a group of friendly supplies from Russia, France and UK. Why jointly and no independence for India to establish supply channels from these nations.

Article 7-Storage & Retransfer- Sharing of list of facilities-

If Information pertaining to Nuclear Program, locations and research activities are not available to Indian Citizens under Right to Information Act 2005, then how justifiable is it, to make it available to certain departments of another country, whose citizens are not under the jurisdiction or control Indian Administration?
Which offices private and public in both countries will hold this information?
Agreement does not refer to trial or compensation relief for any leakage of confidential information.
With US having strategic alliance with Pakistan, is there possible sharing of sensitive information to our historically violent brother.
Will US be compelled by Pakistan to offer complimentary arms support and technology, creating another arms race in Indian Sub-Continent?

Article 10-Access to IAEA on all Inventories-

US have only one visible balancing power that is Russia. Where as India has Pakistan and China. Will such information made to IAEA be considered sensitive to India though it might refer to Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy?

Article 11-Environmental Protection

There is No mention of compensation to society in case of any damage to environment or citizens. Our learning from Bhopal Gas Tragedy has to be understood by Policy makers. Where senior management of Union Carbide / Dow Chemicals are still liable for punishment, will senior management of companies and governments be held responsible for any possible further such cases.
If there is 2 month period for addressing grievances of companies doing business, why no time period fixed for compensation or punishment?

Article 14- Termination & Cessation of Agreement

Agreement applies for a period of 40 years, with one year advance notice for termination and possible withdrawal of technology, raw materials and end products.
If India develops its Research Strength in next 20-40 years, is it in strategic benefit to choose to share research information. Similarly is it benefit to US to do the same?

Some other questions un-answered are:

What percentage of energy demand in next 25 years is going to be met with Nuclear Energy? What is number of Nuclear Reactors planned by Indian Government to be established in next 25 years. A control over number of reactors is needed to maintain the balance of dependency on nuclear energy due to its high environment problems. Free market attitude will create over production pushing our natural resources to its limits.
Present Policy doesn't cover measures to tackle Kickbacks. As India has been very suspetible and many times compromised on several areas such as licenses, health and safety etc. Policy must ensure transparency in dealings and faster trial processes with both countries such as extradition treaty, freezing bank accounts of suspects, etc.
Since the pool of Nuclear Scientists in India is limited, same pool of scientists might be playing dual role or later be involved in nuclear defense related work. Information regarding such profiles is usually considered confidential for security purposes. Present Agreement enables disclosure of such profiles in form of meetings, exchange visits etc. to private and public offices. Where there is possibility of leakage of information again.
Agreement fails to address details of Nuclear Waste Management and Rehabilitation measures. If there join commissions to establish implementation of this agreement a necessary body has to be developed whose officers will be held accountable for nuclear waste disposal, management and rehabilitation.

On December 18, 2006, President Bush signed into law The Henry J. Hyde U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006. There is a strong inter-relationship between this Hyde Act and 123 Agreement. For which I will start my independent study on this as well. We have to study whether Hyde Act has greater powers over the 123 Agreement.

My personal view is that the policy needs more discussion and consensus. Also we need an independent study has to be done as to why the Republicans are so aggressively pushing India to sign the deal. Is it pressure of American Nuclear Industry for faster access to Indian Markets?

A good analogy I see is that of best practices from Retail Giant Wal-Mart. To get better supplies, Wal-Mart procures its resources from multi-vendors across the globe. With its sheer volume demand it commands and dictates price and disclaimers in agreement to suit its cost structure when it comes to procurement.

India is the largest market of Energy after China. This demand allows India to be a position of authority to build its Alliance with various countries to get the best package (raw materials+ technology+ expertise+ research+ management skills+ funds….). India must exercise this opportunity to get the best deal from best at the best price.

I think its time for India to learn about its Nuclear Alliance from Wal-Mart.

Jai Hind,

Navendu Shirali

More questions on this Agreement to read are by:

Brahma Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, is the author, among others, of “Nuclear Proliferation: The U.S.-India Conflict."

Future of Tourism in Goa

2008-02-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday over lunch, in discussion with my mentor and good friend Naveen Malhotra, talked about creating Schools for Tourist Guides. He talked for few minutes about its feasibility and value proposition. And to think of it, its one of the most amazing institutions that can be created in Goa.

Here are some existing institutes across the world

Training and Diplomas in Montreal and Quebec City

Institute recognised for Training in Montreal

Tourist Guide Training in Puerto Rico

Scottish Educational system for Tourist Guides by Rosalind Newlands

The US Educational system for Tourist Guides by Vicky Schwartz

New Orleans, Louisiana - Educational system for Tourist Guides by Bobbie Gattuso

Greek Educational system for Tourist Guides by Efi Kalamboukidou

Icelandic Educational System for Tourist Guides by Stefan Helgi Valsson

http://wftga.org/page.asp?id=110

So how can this function:

Most students will working during the day and classes can be given during the night or weekends. Hostel facility along with student fees can be covered a Student Loan fund that the government needs to create. A basic allowance also can be thought of. These students can choose to specialize in different forms of knowledge areas such as History, Architecture, etc. and post graduation degree at India level. Next is to create job opportunities for these students.

Such guides can be great value to Five Star Hotels, Travel Operators such as Sita etc. The institute can tie-up with Language Institutions such as Alliance Francisse and Max Muller for French, German, Spanish etc. Where students can be offered to be multilingual . By which they can be deployed in foreign countries for creating tourism awareness and be the single point of contact for tourists visiting from that respective city.

So how do we increase myriad footprint of high value of tourists? One of them is to start Town twinning / Sister Cities which is a concept whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural link. Goa must identify cities and towns across the globe where there are such fitments and focus on the top 20 countries with high HNI. These tourist guides should be placed in Cultural Offices there to spread the message of Goa along with arts forms and handicrafts of Goa. The cultural centers opened there is a place where locals can look at Indian Movies, Indian culture, taste Indian and Goan food, along with travel desk offering travel arrangements. The same facility must be reciprocated in Goa to these countries to establish their cultural centers. Jai

Jai hind

Navendu

Primetime given to Om Shanti Om versus Death of Legend

2008-02-17T23:58:00.001-08:00

To: feedback@ndtv.com, editor@ibnlive.com

Dear Editors,

I was watching both your channels simultaneously on my DTH on Feb 8 at
prime time 9pm.
I was shocked to see, that the leading 2 news channels choose to
prioritize an exclusive story on the premiere of Om Shanti Om in
Berlin. Both your channels showcased 7 second photo clippings
commerating demise of Baba Amte.

Is that all you could do? If your are unbiased news agent why
sensationalize premiere of an entertainment movie?

My room mates asked me who is Baba Amte? Your urban target audience,
remains ignorant.
I felt ashamed that least any news channel could do, was to inspire
the youth of today by showcasing stories of an heroic social activist,
like Baba Amte, who transformed the lives of lakhs of Indians,
suffering from Leprosy and disability.

I realize that such stories might not get your "assumed" TRP, but with
this assumption, we might land up with a generation of citizens
discussing about movies and cricket.

Jai Hind
Navendu Shirali

Baba Amte, 93, Dies

2008-02-17T21:06:00.001-08:00

Baba Amte, a follower of Gandhi whose dedication to helping the lepers of India brought him the Templeton Prize and many other international awards, died on Feb. 9 at his shelter for leprosy patients in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. He was 93. The cause was age-related ailments, said his eldest son, Dr. Vikas Amte.

Mr. Amte, who was trained as a lawyer, turned from an early life of hunting, playing sports, driving fancy cars and writing film reviews to working with the poor of his country, but his direction was irrevocably determined by an encounter with a destitute leper. After that, he gave up his father's huge estate and dedicated himself to the service of lepers. To the end of his life, he worked, marched and protested for better treatment for them and the rest of India's least powerful.

Murlidhar Devidas Amte — later known by the honorific "baba" — was born on Dec. 24, 1914, in Hingaighat in Maharashtra, the eldest son of an affluent Brahmin landlord. His life was privileged, but even in his youth, Mr. Amte rebelled against injustice and discrimination on the basis of birth, caste and creed. Despite his parents' disapproval, he often ate with servants and played with lower-caste children.

After earning a bachelor's degree, Mr. Amte went to law school at the request of his father, who gave him a sports car with panther-skin seat covers. He graduated in 1936.Mr. Amte was inspired by the ideas of Marx and Mao, John Ruskin and the anarchist Pyotr Kropotkin. Drawn to the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore because of his poetry and music, Mr. Amte visited Mr. Tagore at his ashram in Calcutta.

But he was definitively influenced by Gandhi's ideals of simplicity and truth and his fight against injustice. He spent time at Gandhi's ashram in Sevagram, took part in his movement to get the British to leave India in 1942 and organized lawyers to defend the movement's jailed leaders. He was also arrested and imprisoned. Seeing grim poverty in and around his father's large estate, he gave up his lucrative law practice in his early 30s and began working with untouchable sweepers and night soil carriers. He let his hair and fingernails grow and took a vow of celibacy.

That vow ended one day when he saw Indu Ghuleshastri quietly slip away from her sister's wedding festivities to help an elderly maid wash clothes. "I told her parents that I was the suitable groom for her," he said. The two married in 1946. Besides his son Vikas and his wife, he is survived by another son, Prakash, and a daughter, Sheetal.

Mr. Amte and Indu, renamed Sadhna after their marriage, set up a labor ashram near Warora. In 1947, they were joined by a poor Brahmin family who knew something about agriculture, a shoemaker, an umbrella repairer and a few untouchable families. Mr. Amte even worked for about a year as a scavenger, carrying away baskets of human waste.

One rainy night on his way home, he saw a leper named Tulshiram lying naked by the road. Horrified by the sight of his fingerless and maggot-ridden body and fearing infection, Mr. Amte at first ran home, but he returned when his conscience got the better of him, fed the man with his own hands and gave him shelter for the short remainder of his life.

After that, Mr. Amte read voraciously about leprosy and worked at the Warora leprosy clinic. He took a course on leprosy at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine in 1949 and even let his body be used for an unsuccessful experiment in growing leprosy germs.

In 1951, he established his own commune for lepers, called Anandvan, on rocky land in Maharashtra State that was covered with scrubby vegetation and infested with scorpions and snakes. The nearest well was more than a mile away. With help from his wife, their young sons, six leprosy patients and a lame cow and a dog, he turned the barren place into a thick forest.

Later, 50 young volunteers from dozens of countries would work for three-month stints at Anandvan, which became the nerve center of Mr. Amte's relentless crusade. His goal was to help leprosy patients become self-confident and capable of cooperative and creative leadership. By the 1950s, with a newly discovered sulfone drug for leprosy available, he began treating patients in more than 60 villages around Warora.

Despite having a back ailment later in his life, Mr. Amte took part in long protest marches for causes including environmentalism, religious tolerance, peace and justice. He was a supporter of India's indigenous tribes and opposed the construction of a "super dam" project on one of India's largest rivers; it eventually destroyed many villages.

To the end of his life, he emulated Gandhi in wearing homespun and living a simple life while working for village industry and the empowerment of ordinary people. In addition to the Templeton Prize, which he won in 1990, his awards included the 1988 United Nations Human Rights Prize.

HARESH PANDYA

SOURCE : New York Times

Open letter to Gandhiji on his 60th death anniversary by RSS Karyakarta

2008-02-05T20:59:00.001-08:00

By Ravindra RP


On the Mahatma's 60th death anniversary, a former member of the right-wing RSS writes about his early indoctrination against Mahatma Gandhi and his eventual realisation of Gandhi's relevance in modern-day India

Dear Bapu,

It's strange that I should be writing a letter to you. Since childhood, I have had nothing but anger and hatred for you. Had I written a letter then, I would have simply abused you (of course, I would have been smart enough not to sign it). I don't know how over a period of time these feelings were transformed. In fact, I am writing this letter precisely to understand how.

I remember I must have been in the sixth or seventh standard. I was a regular swayamsewak of the Rashtriya Swayamdewak Sangh (RSS). My aim in life was to be its full-time worker. At that impressionable age, a hatred for Gandhi and for Muslims was imprinted on my mind. Nowadays, I wonder whether most Maharashtrian Brahmins carry within them a gene for Gandhi- Muslim hatred. More likely it is a virus, not a gene; how else can one explain its rapid proliferation in the likes of Narendra Modi and Vinay Katiyar?

In the shakha, we boys learnt many things while playing games. One was to run around a widening circle in one breath, chanting "Hinduncha Hindustan" -- Hindustan for the Hindus -- (automatically we used to hum "Pakistan for the Katelas"). Cool evenings and moonlight picnics were invariably linked with the "Bauddhiks" when we listened to horrific tales of Partition, of atrocities committed on Hindus, of the rebellion of the Moplas (yet another bloody tale of Hindu massacre). Our blood literally boiled, letting out fumes of hatred. That was the time I was introduced to the thoughts of Veer Savarkar and I started asking, "How can freedom be won without a war?"

In the 1960s, Bapu, your official heirs were the devious Congressmen and the Sarvodaya workers trapped in rituals like spinning. I was thoroughly convinced (of course without any study) that our freedom was won mainly through the sacrifices of armed revolutionaries, while Gandhi and the Congress ran away with all the credit. The biographies of Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and Netaji Bose were so thrilling. (I genuinely believed that all of them were de facto danda -carrying Swayamsevaks, or at least very close relatives of the RSS Parivar!) As against this, your biography was very insipid. (It was only after Attenborough's Gandhi that I realised the beauty and bravery in non-violence, but that was much later.) I read Shatruchya Shibirat (Inside theEenemy Camp), Savarkar's autobiographical account of his trip to England, and concurred with Savarkar that in order to be brave and strong like the English, we too should start eating meat. That was the time when at home we were forbidden even to utter "E for Egg".)

And you, what a contrast! Repenting that you ever tried "imitating an English gentleman". So feeble and weepy! Your language was too simple. When I read your lesson in our English textbook, I found you opposed to science, obsessed with spinning and prohibition. To me, Gandhism meant spinning wheels, loincloths, sheep's milk -- no wonder their caricatures tickled the funny bone of ALL Maharashtrians (that's what we thought at the time -- WE means ALL). My stubbornness grew with age. Most of 'us' had no property, farms or mansions. But we were brought up on tales of how we had lost everything in the 1948 anti-Brahmin riots. This feeling of being wronged, targeted, was passed on to our generation. However, the elder generation around us held you in high esteem; nobody criticised you openly. But hiding the banned books of Nathuram and Gopal Godse, passing them on to others and discussing them in hushed tones was common -- it was thrilling and deeply satisfying, almost like performing a religious ritual.

Later I spent a year in Pune and six years in Nagpur for my college education. That was the time I was really growing -- physically as well as intellectually. I was a voracious reader. In the inspiring '70s, change was in the very air I breathed. I was reading not only RSS literature, but also about Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. My dalit friends drew me to the fountainhead of dalit literature. Thus, paradoxically, in the very strongholds of the RSS, I not only outgrew it, but also became its staunch opponent. Later, I travelled a long road – the Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) movement, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini (JP's youth organisation), feminism, the people's science movement…And I graduated to becoming a "progressive".

But this process hardly altered my opinion of you. There were flashes of disturbing exception -- there was JP, candidly describing his voyage from Marxism, socialism and finally reaching your path. He asked, "But where is the 'incentive to goodness' in any ideology? What inspires a person to transcend selfish motives and do anything good for others, for society?" Acharya Dada Dharmadhikari, the leading commentator on 'Total revolution', asked a pertinent question -- "It's natural and just for members of any oppressed group -- dalits, women, toilers -- to struggle for their liberation by rebelling against the system that oppresses them; it is absolutely essential too, but is it sufficient to bring about a fundamental change in society? Who will struggle for the liberation of the entire humankind? In a complex society wherein each one is a part of the oppressive structure, how can we develop 'revolutionary consciousness', transcending mere class/caste consciousness?"

These questions did disturb me, but only temporarily. I was young, haunted by the spirit of 'progressivism', afraid of being branded a 'Savodayi'. Bapu, for us you were an 'outcaste'. For some, you were actually their 'Enemy Number One'. (For progressive people like us, the numbering and sequencing of our enemy list has always been a problem; basically weak in maths, you see.) These numbers kept changing -- sometimes it was you, at times the Congress, quite often the dissidents (from Socialists to Maoists, their number was ever growing.) It is funny, but we never felt the need to consider the RSS our Enemy Number One and really fight it.

We were talking of our relationship. Let us be clear. Your use of the term 'Harijan', your efforts at eradicating 'untouchability', your appeal to high-caste Hindus to take over 'dirty jobs' like scavenging in a spirit of atonement -- for several dalits, all this stinks of high-caste egotism. Congress's opposition to Dr B R Ambedkar and its manipulation of dalits in parliamentary politics are also being blamed on you.

As usual, you are the favourite whipping boy for all the evils in this country. You are the Father of the Nation, a nation that, in fact, does not exist. Hence, no one is offended when you are attacked, because you have no children. For the Marxists, you have always been a stooge of the national capitalists. They won't forgive you because you stood between them and the revolution they intended to bring about. Many feminists don't even mention you -- you were a man, an Indian, a traditionalist, who advocated Brahmacharya (abstinence/celibacy) rather than contraception. Your ideal of RamRajya is obviously unacceptable to the heirs of Shambuka, Sita, Marx and Lenin. Nothing wrong with that, except that this opposition blurred the fact that your Ram was diametrically opposite to the 'Jai Shree Ram' of the Sangh Parivar and would never do injustice to anyone. You were an old hat, Bapuji, while all of us were 'modern'; that was the only thing we agreed upon. We were votaries of modernism. We were convinced that all the problems of our times could be solved through planned development, the spread of modern education, progressive legislation and constitutional provisions like reservations and adoption of secularism by all.

We would have jolly well spent our lives fighting each other, cursing you, and spinning the yarn of 'intellectual' discussions. But then, like a bolt from the blue, the Soviet Union was splintered, the socialist dream soured, and the Babri Masjid was destroyed, and we suddenly woke from our slumber. I won't say that all of us were brought to our senses at the same time. How can we call ourselves progressive if we become aware of all our historical blunders at the same time? But then we woke up to the fact that we had all become redundant. "The caravan had driven past us and we were left staring at the cloud of dust it raised!" Though some of us rushed to seek a space in the Rath Yatra, others were disenchanted and went in search of eternal truth and inner peace. The remaining are still busy fighting one another, yet thinking seriously about what went wrong. Bapuji, I am ashamed to admit, many of us are slowly inching towards you.

It's not an easy process, we must admit. Where is your votebank, Bapu? Hindu fanatics killed you for being pro-Muslim, but Muslims are hardly aware of what you did (for them, for this nation and for upholding humanism). You considered eradication of untouchability as important as the freedom struggle, but for the dalits, you are the kingpin of the Brahiminical power structure (more dangerous than the RSS). Your agenda of revival of village industries brought productive castes of weavers, potters, oilsmiths (the OBCS in today's jargon) into the mainstream of production processes. You were instrumental in bringing about the change in leadership from the upper castes to the Bahujans during the freedom struggle and paved the way for the democratisation of the Indian polity; but the votaries of Mandal are blissfully unaware of this contribution. The Congress party and the so-called Gandhians buried you in statues and turned you into a pygmy, to suit their size. Today, you have no one to carry forward your heritage with pride. The whole business of being the father of an ungrateful nation has been totally loss-making. What sort of Bania are you?

Well, you aren't that unpopular either. Many of your favourite concepts, freed from ideological clutches and after a suitable makeover, have now become 'class symbols'. Khadi is now seen more on the bodies of models walking down the ramp than on activists. Nature cure has become a rage for the elite crowd queuing up for saunas and weightloss programmes. The rich, while shopping in food malls, always prefer organic food. We will all start drinking sheep's milk once its nourishing value is established by American scientists!

But in all this maddening chaos, you have become much more relevant. The overfilled and bursting megacities, drained-out villages, the growing number of farmer suicides, the lavish malls built on the tombs of textile mills, school children exhausted by the burden of schoolbags, Narmada, Singur, Nandigram, Kalinganagar, Khairlanji; people, media, judiciary, bureaucracy, political leaders and workers -- everyone incapable of rising above their narrow caste/class/other vested interests; our horizons fragmented by narrow domestic walls -- Bapu, we need your all-embracing, integral vision encompassing the wholeness of life. Your skill in discovering the hidden strengths of thousands of activists, strengthening their wings, widening their horizons and weaving them together -- we need them today.

We don't want your glasses, Bapu. We are already like the blind men probing the shape of an elephant. After wearing your glasses, we shall end up with egoistic confirmation of our individual discoveries of parts being the whole. Moreover, in the past six decades, we have travelled so much of a distance in a direction the reverse of your Hind Swaraj that it would add to our confusion. Today's problems need today's solutions. Hence, we ask not for your glasses, but your clear, loving, whole vision. We need your support to break through the fallacies of development vs environment, constructive work vs struggle, synthesis vs analysis, creation vs distribution of wealth; to be unforgiving to our own selves, and accommodating of others; to explore wider mass support (beyond funding agencies). Not just a handful of (former and present-day) activists dreaming of a more humane world, but all of us feeling suffocated in this unipolar world seek you.

Why do all the bright and inspiring victories in the struggle for equity and humanity get transformed into ultimate defeats -- India, China, USSR, Vietnam, South Africa; all those saddened by this realisation seek solace in you. The young American peacenik who threw herself before the invading Israeli tanks in Palestine chanted your name before embracing death. You have survived the bullets of Nathuram Godse and the innumerable deaths inflicted by your followers. You live, not only in books, museums and statues, but in our minds as well. You are getting younger day by day, year by year. Hence, let me say "Long Live Bapuji!"

(Translated by the author, the original article appeared in a slightly different form in the Marathi daily Loksatta on October 2, 2007)

Are we missing the Bus?

2008-01-29T02:48:00.001-08:00

Saturday and Sunday are business holidays for the employees of IT & ITES Industry.

600 kms from Bangalore, so called Silicon Valley of India is Goa, a suitable destination for a weekend escape. With few flights at odd hours and irregular train arrivals, Bus is the most used form for these domestic tourists and Goans working in Bangalore. There are no official data available about the number of Goans working in Bangalore, but there are thousands working here as per many social networking websites

During peak seasons such as Christmas, Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, all possible transportation means are flooded. Private buses sub contract new buses, trains add more compartments, Flights hike prices. Now let us look at some facts:

Transport Name	No of Buses	Average Price
KSRTC Non AC- RAJAHAMSA EXECUTIVE	1	450 Rs
KSRTC AC VOLVO	2 (+ 1 During Season)	748 Rs
Paulo Non AC	3(+ 1 During Season)	450 Rs
Paulo AC Volvo	1(+ 1 During Season)	800 Rs
Seabird	1(+ 1 During Season)	500 Rs
Raj Travels	1	830 Rs
	Total Buses=9 (+4 During Season)	630 Rs.

Even Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) during the peak season prioritizes its capacity and hikes the price to almost Rs.1000. To add to the competition, KSRTC has an online internet booking website and all private buses are available for online booking as well on www.redbus.in .

How much money does the Home State make out of this?

So every day there at least 9 buses running and during season over 13 buses. One thing that remains unchanged during this gold rush is the approach of KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED on this route. Forget about online booking, it doesn't even have a website. Forget about website, total buses during peak season on this route go over 12, any guesses on how many buses KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED runs on this route…? Shockingly one, yes one and that too is a Non AC Bus taking grueling 16 hours. The KSRTC bus which leaves after an hour from Bangalore overtakes Kadamba even before getting out of Bangalore. It doesn't even have Volvo Bus running on this route unlike its counter part KSRTC.

Now perhaps after reading this article someone in Ministry of Road & Transport or KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED might realize the business potential or opportunity cost. Perhaps it might add to their demand of additional buses. But that's not the point I am trying to make. Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED need to be more proactive in its planning and execution. It has to realize that majority tourists come to Goa by road and it should maximize its revenue which it loses to private and other efficient state transports such as KSRTC. Other State Transports run into loss because there few high traffic routes, where as Ministry of Road & Transport & KADAMBA TRANSPORT CORPORATION LIMITED need to cash in.

They have to really introspect, and move towards agility and adaptation to competition, opportunity costs and calculate loss of revenue by running sub standardized buses, old technology and old processes. Kadamba name belongs to an empire that remains in history of India, as an age of efficient governance and satisfied citizens lived. It's a prestigious and visionary brand name which needs the desired sanctity. Are the present Minister, Bureaucrats, stake holders doing justice to this prestigious brand name Kadamba, if not it must be renamed to Siesta Travels?

What do we offer fellow Goans or tourists when they reach a Bus Stand or Railway Station-do we have prepaid autos? Shouldn't citizens charge a fair price for service? Isn't haggling a form of corruption? Are the public service providers creating a competitive scenario for better service? Even BSNL is doing a good job, by forcing its telecom competitors to provide better value. The role of TRAI in policy making and execution is remarkable. Why cant Goa achieve this, do we lack the intellect or the will to change?

Even in 2008, the entire rural side of Goa, remains in contact with irregular bus service. If an human being, forget from which state or nationality or religion he belongs to, had to catch a train or reach home at late hours of night, why do fellow Goans who run autos and taxis behave like crocodiles awaiting their prey. Its sometimes such an irony to see our society which is so deeply routed religiously on days of worship. But no practicing the religion when it comes to business or work in private or public sector. I am compelled to generalize, as even a drop of curd in milk turns it sour.

After all life is one chance, and many of us waste this chance by joining the pursuit to make more and more money…hence I think we are missing the bus!

Horn Not OK- Please

2008-01-27T22:05:00.001-08:00

Vipul Shaha, my friend from Initiatives of Change, has now built the Kranti of his campaign to greater boundaries.

What once was a thought of reducing the abuse of horn, after his visit to UK. This though has now become into campaign across Maharashtra.

One more of their rallies went off on grand scale in Baramati this 26^th January. More about this by Robin….

Baramati—Declaration of New Freedom!

(Quiet India—Horn NOT OK Please!)

--Report by Robin Redull. January 26, 2008.

Baramati in Maharashtra State Declared a Republic Day of a different kind on Saturday. It declared Freedom from HONKING OF HORN in its Quiet India initiative, HORN NOT OK PLEASE. From chief inspector of Police and Deputy Revenue officer, leading business persons and ladies, down to town boys of the Street Hawks motorcyclist's brigade, more than 80 motor bikes with over 100 people quietly and purposefully led a major rally through the town centre on a 5.0 km circuit.

After a two minute "Quiet Time", giving the campaigners peace within, they proceeded in double file behind a large banner, and with no overtaking or honking the long serpent of motor bikes brought Baramati to a standstill, with towns people applauding and cheering, whilst others were clearly puzzled. Fellowship was enjoyed by everyone involved being aware that their Care for India efforts through the broader MRA Initiatives of Change were gradually bringing to an end the noise pollution in this thriving town.

Emblazoned with canary yellow printed tee shirts, the serpent of bikes was clearly distinguishable in the town melee. Plans are afoot to bring this campaign to Mumbai after recent successes in Pune and Solapur. The Crystal Group and Street Hawks promised to carry this message throughout India on their future tours.

Ghandiji led Quit India campaign, the freedom campaign from Empire. However, Quite India campaign leader Vipul Shaha of Pandare village stated that "Quietness is of benefit to us all, and rudeness and bullying by motor cyclists and all drivers must come to an end" leading us all to freedom from unnecessary noise.

Street Hawk leader Pranav Soman, who previously had smashed his leg in a motor cycle accident, stated that "Our choice is courteousness and safety, or recklessness and death on the road". Campaign initiator Robin Redsull of UK, last week having attended a fatal accident near Pandare with Abhay Shaha late at night stated that "For one second of waiting, one man had killed his pillion passenger in less than a second. Was this a fair price to pay for impatience?"

The campaigners thanked the entire town and its people at the rally end in Station Yard for being so patient and attending to the rally. Quiet India – HORN NOT OK PLEASE. Remember it. Do it!

http://www.quietindia.blogspot.com

Update on RTI Application on Aldei de Goa

2007-12-18T21:40:00.001-08:00

Continuation Reply from PIO giving more details on the application.

Original RTI Application (click)

First Appellate Order

2007-12-04T00:39:00.000-08:00

Here is update on First Appellate Hearing