I had envisaged addressing a broad spectrum of problems in the upcoming Assembly session which but has been arbitrarily curtailed by the CMOs to just a token one day affair. It is not understood how the myriad problems of an entire state could be tabled let alone resolved in a single day.
The Assembly is the only viable forum for elected representatives to voice and seek redressal of a multitude of issues being faced not just in their respective constituencies but the state as a whole. Its only in the General Assembly that a consensus could be achieved on major issues concerning governance and its improvisations.
When all other Government businesses are being conducted normally even through the 3 day Total Lockdown I do not understand why we cannot hold a longer Assembly session? Every MLA is aware of the Covid protocols and will abide by it and the sessions can be held in the sanitised environment of our Secretariat by responsibly maintaining social distancing which I am sure everyone of us can.
The precarious situation which the state is going through on all fronts in these pandemic times definitely warrants a longer assembly session for constructive dialogue to enable consensus based decision making for resolution of vitally extant as well as emergent subjects.
One of the main issues I had decided to bring forth in assembly was more effective Covid control by calling for a consensus decision on items that I have been harping for a long time like – Availing the services of Army Medical Corps to supplement our limited medical capacities.
Our Covid Warriors need rest & backup to continue their fight. They are doing Super Human tasks against Corona but we must remember that they too are human and need rest & recuperation and also the assurance of a strong back up force which the AMC will capably provide . It will be a great relief to our Medical Fraternity that has been on its tenterhooks with the everyday spike becoming unmanageable resulting in many a setback in effective management of Corona cases which has drawn flak against the government. Secondly, I still stand by and would want to demand for Railway Isolation Coaches to meet the shortage of bed count in our hospitals. Based on the scientific observations of highly qualified people from the Medical Fraternity in the country, I have been regularly warning the Government of an uncontrollable spike in Corona cases in July & August and sadly, the same has proved true and has caught our Government machinery unprepared for the same despite repeated and desperate reminders from likeminded public representatives like me.
Secondly, I wanted to stress on the derelict law and order situation in the state as most of our police personnel are pressed into Covid control duties. Intelligence gathering and crime control mechanisms has taken a backseat. Miscreants are making good of the absence of police in the usual scenarios and are getting away with small and big crimes thus creating a sense of insecurity amongst the citizens which needs to be considered seriously in view of the fact that the people are already in a panic mindset due to the pandemic and its evergrowing spread. The Government should focus on getting the direct involvement of Local Self Government Bodies, Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Volunteer groups to monitor the Covid scenario and thus ease the load on our police personnel so that they can concentrate on the deteriorating law and order situation. Failure to address the situation will definitely result in mayhem and possible civil unrest as the escalating Corona cases are straining the state resources to the maximum and the population is both frustrated & frightened and a heightened level of public trepidation is not a good sign for a healthy civil society.
I find it very constraining to repeatedly harp on the fact that Calangute has become a hotbed of lawlessness, mafia influence, drug culture and that the vices of crime and prostitution have made their home in the Calangute belt. Recent cases of drugs and prostitution that hit the news have proven me right once again.
Every time I raised these issues, the elected representative of the constituency pulls personal barbs at me when all I have been doing is my duty as an MLA in highlighting the social and criminal malaise that has been plaguing Calangute and its vicinity which has the potential to become a shameful and full blown issue which will affect the standing of Goa and challenge the very Government that is slow pedalling on these absolutely grave issues that are threatening the very fabric of peaceful society in these areas.
I urge the Goa Government to show its strong commitment towards a peaceful and crime free society and rid Calangute of its Politician-Drug Mafia-Prostitution nexus at the earliest with stringent and effective action.
It is also most pertinent that the Assembly dwells seriously on the growing concerns of Goans regarding the Mollem issue which threatens the very essence of naturally endowed Goa. We simply cannot afford to support anything that will affect the natural beauty and bounty of Goa and the survival of the Western Ghats which are the lungs of entire South Western India. When the entire world is promoting only naturally co-existing developmental activities that will help conserve whatever little of nature is left on this planet, we Goans who have a proud heritage of protecting our natural flora and fauna, simply cannot agree to these activities that will destroy Goa and make it inhabitable for our future generations…The voices are growing and I have already written to the Central Environment Ministry as well as the Apex Court detailing the nuances and calling for intervention. I earnestly appeal to Goa Government and CMOs to take an immediate decision to disband forthwith all activities that threaten the fragile biodiversity of Mollem.
There’s also the glaring humanitarian issue of providing a rehabilitation platform for those who have come back to Goa from distant lands where they had established their livelihoods but had to give up all that and return back, many of them, almost empty handed.
Similar action is warranted for those small and medium businesses that were forced to close shop in wake of Corona. Lot’s of livelihoods have been lost and support modes of providing the basic necessities through the public distribution system for an extended period needs to be discussed and implemented in an inclusive manner that covers even those on living on the fringes of our society without any documented identity to be covered by the PDS.
The Government also should start adopting a rational approach to objections raised by the Opposition or other any other organisation to its proposals. If there’s a validity in the points of objection then the most rational step for any democratic government is to think of better alternatives rather than try to suppress the objections/opposition. Consider the IIT issue, since there is an opposition with regards to its proposed location, it will be in the best interest of the state and public that the Government identifies an alternative location instead of trying to suppress the opposition and cause for a conflict that might result in loss of this prestigious project.
Budget discussions should concentrate more on Economic Revival. We need to hold productive discussions with reference to the Budget for implementation of an economic revival package in view of the dwindling revenues and overall slump of the state economy. Dialogue should begin on priority basis for initiating the right steps involving all the stakeholders. The more we delay, the more onerous will be task to salvage the economy.
I am hoping that the Government adopts a pragmatic approach to the overall suggestions from well meaning elected representatives and come out with a genuine effort to leverage Goa from the present socioeconomic disarray by taking everyone into confidence. Together let’s fight not just the pandemic but the economic slump that threatens to derail the development of Goa.
