Goa has long since stopped expecting good governance from elected governments. The experience of Goans with elected governments has been very bitter. The belief is that politicians in power are more concerned with pursuing their personal agendas than the welfare of the people or the state. Politicians irrespective of their party affiliations do very well for themselves in power and even out of power. Politicians prosper and grow rich at the expense of the people. But the people of Goa have not shared in the prosperity and well being of the political class in the state.

Conversely Goans have very good memories of Presidential rule. Particularly during the tenure of Lt General Jacob. A simple straight forward soldier who showed genuine concern for the people. Not just for the people but for the ecology of the state. It was during Lt general Jacob’s tenure that the major step forward was taken to protect and preserve the forest wealth of Goa. And to save them from the degradations of the mining lobby. We are referring to the notification declaring Netravalim and Madei as wildlife and nature sanctuaries. Though Gen Jacob was an appointee of the BJP government he was staunchly secular. Ironically all through the tenure of the Parrikar led governments in the state attempts were made to get Netravalim and Madei denotified. Ostensibly out of concern for the tribal population. But the ground reality was that the denotification was sought at the behest of the mining lobby which was hard hit by the conversion of Netravalim and Madei into sanctuaries.

When Goa was brought under President’s Rule the aam admi was happy. They looked forward to a respite from politicians. They were hopeful that without pressures and counter pressures from politicians the Governor would take some initiatives for the good of the people. That the Governor would address himself to basic issues of concern to the people. Like provision of safe potable drinking water. Despite Parrikar’s claims that a number of measures have been taken to augment water supply the feedback from, FEEDBACK, a consultancy agency has been that the availability of water even in urban areas leave alone the backward talukas is way below international standards. And serious doubts have arisen about the safety of even the little water that the PWD makes available.

The other issue that is crying for the Governor’s attention is waste disposal. Successive popular governments have shown no inclination to find a solution. They have not had the political will to solve the problem. Schemes have been initiated for collection of garbage of which the Panjim door to door collection is a fine example. But the problem of disposal of garbage has remained. The situation was compounded by the fact that no village wants to be the dumping ground for the garbage of the taluka or an entire region. There is wealth in waste. But unlike in Mumbai and other metropolitan areas private enterprise has been reluctant to set up waste treatment and recycling plants. This is partly because it would be viable to do so only if they get long term contracts. And with the chronic political uncertainty there is no guarantee that successive governments will honour commitments made by predecessor governments.

There are two other issues which demand the Governor’s immediate attention. The threat of flooding of Panjim city because of the choking of the drains due to the incomplete IFFI infrastructure works. The citizens of Panjim have been very agitated about. The mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panjim has submitted several memorandums to the governor. But nobody seems to be displaying any sense of urgency. Including Shri Manohar Parrikar who represents Panjim in the legislative assembly. There were some noises about making the IFFI contractors accountable. But the principle contractors and consultants have made their money and run away with the materials. But the local contractors who made piles of money are still there. Various bureaucrats and consultants are still around. Surely it is logical to make the beneficiaries of IFFI responsible for finishing the incomplete works. Unless a solution is found come the monsoons Panjim will become a stinking cesspool. The stalemate of the River Princess also can be easily resolved. All that the Governor has to do is get somebody from the office of the Director General of Shipping to check on the claims being made by the scrap dealer fronting for Crosschem.

But the Governor does not seem to be concerned. All that he seems to be doing is rambling around the country side. We are happy he is getting himself acquainted with the villages of Goa. But surely this cannot be at the expense of addressing issues of urgent concern to the citizens. If Panjim turns into a stinking cesspool and the River Princess splinters into a million pieces, the people of Goa will rightly hold His Excellency S C Jamir responsible.

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