THE 2001 Winter Session of the Goa State Assembly took off on January 17 at Penha de Franca with the address by Governor Fazal Mohd, who said that the State government plans to give top priority to make the administration responsive, speedier and accountable to the common man in all respects. Governor Fazal said that the government is determinted to develop IT related application services, E-commerce, etc. A cyber city with special economic privileges and tax benefits is also on the cards as well an exclusive Information Technology Institute, en route to making Goa an "intelligent State".

The Governor said that the Goa government wants to pursue the airport project and to integrate it with the surface transport network for rapid transit system. The governor's address also included the mention of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which the government desires to set up on a priority basis in Goa. The Goa government is considering the extension of the Golden Quadrilateral Project of four to six-lane express highways, linking the major cities of the country to this State.

CONGRESS BLAMED FOR CASINOS: From the Opposition benches, GPCC president Ms Nirmala Sawant charged the BJP-led government for its hypocrisy regarding the setting up of casinos in Goa. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar parried the accusation stating that the Congress government was responsible for amending the anti-gambling act and for approving the setting up of offshore casinos in Goa. Parrikar also revealed that the amendment to the Prevention and Control of Gambling Act was done during the tenure of then Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane while the file to allow gaming tables was okayed by another former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro after his government was reduced to a minority.

GAMBLING ACT TO BE AMENDED: Chief Minister Parrikar informed the Assembly on January 18 that his government proposes to amend the Goa Public Gambling Act, 1976, to hike the fines imposed on gamblers, to serve as a deterrent against gambling. Parrikar informed Tivim MLA Dayanand Narvekar that 965 matka gambling cases were booked, 1,015 persons arrested and nearly Rs.3 lakh seized in police raids during 2000. He also said that matka will be brought under control within the next 2-3 months.

CASINO SHIP CARAVELLA: The offshore casino "Caravella" is still moored at the Panjim fisheries jetty, awaiting the permission from the Captain of Ports to ply in the Goan waters, said Inland Water Transport Minister Jose Philip D'Souza in reply to a query from MLA Churchill Alemao in the Assembly.

INFRASTRUCTURE CORPORATION: The government has given a green signal to the formation of a state-owned company-Goa Infrastructure Corporation-to complete the infrastructural projects on a build-own-operate-and-transfer basis.

CONTINGENCY FUND HIKE: Goa's contingency fund has been hiked 20 times from the earlier Rs.10 crore to Rs.200 crore. The government will have a larger kitty to draw emergency funds.

ECO-ZONE FOR MORMUGAO: The rapid development of the Mormugao taluka is on the cards with the Cabinet meeting on January 16 approving of the creation of a special economic zone in Mormugao, for small and medium industries. The eco-zone, the government expects, will help relieve the burgeoning unemployment problem. Industries Minister Shaikh Hassan says that the entire area will be declared economically 'foreign zone'.

BOOST FOR I T: The government has decided to promote the setting up of information technology software and related services in Goa, by granting relaxation in several ways, particularly in Non-Objection certificates and labour laws.

MADEI WATERS PROBLEM: Nationalist Congress Party member Dr Wilfred de Souza took objection to Irrigation Minister Ramakant Khalap's attempt to hold an "all-party meeting" on the issue in his chamber, instead of discussing it in the House.

HASTY RECRUITMENT CRITICISED: Opposition leader Luizinho Faleiro told the Chief Minister Parrikar that the government's reducing of the administration through the voluntary retirement scheme and simultaneously recruitment of new staff, will only burden the State's finances further since 50 per cent of the budget goes for the salaries and other benefits of government employees. Besides the ongoing recruitment of 448 constables in the police department, the government has wants to engage 175 post of teachers in government schools while several of them had been declared surplus, charged other MLAs.

GOA APPROPRIATION BILL: After a brief debate, the State Legislative Assembly passed the Goa Appropriation Bill, 2001, in its supplementary demands amounting to Rs.173.43 crore, for government spending in the current year. Mention of substantative tourism-related infrastructure popped up during the discussion.

HOW LONG WILL we sell the sea and our beaches, asked Dayanand Narvekar of the GPCP, in the Assembly on January 18, while expressing the need to set up effective tourism-related infrastructure. He referred to the Sinquerim-Baga beach belt as a mess and urged the government to take measures to arrest the rot.

COCO CARE: To safeguard the local coconut market, 8 per cent entry tax will be levied on dry copra and import of tender coconuts from other States will be banned. The Agriculture minister said in the Assembly that the government proposes to set up 100 sale points for selling tender coconuts in Goa.

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE: Chief Minister Parrikar informed the Assembly on January 18, that the government of Goa spent Rs.2,830.35 crore from June 14, 1999 till today. The government has 24 mobile phones and it spent over Rs.5.25 lakh on them for the last six months. The government has spend Rs.21.84 lakh from October 24, 2000 to December 31, 2000. The total expenditure on staff salaries is Rs.13,06,998, ministers' salaries Rs.77.86 lakh, fuel Rs.2.32 lakh, refreshments Rs.73,607 and travel allowance Rs.6.25 lakh.

CONCESSIONS COST KTC: The Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited incurs Rs.127.16 lakh per year on travel concessions given to freedom fighters (100% concession: Rs.36.15 lakh), students (50% concession: Rs.90 lakh) and cancer patients (Rs.1 lakh). In all, there are 1,200 registered freedom fighters in Goa. Siolim MLA Dayanand Mandrekar asked the Transport Minister whether there is a record of the freedom fighters travelling by KTC buses since they are generally old people and hardly travel whether in KTC buses or otherwise.

PROTECTION AGAINST INUNDATION: The Chief Minister assured the Assembly on January 19 that his government will solve the recurring problem of inundation of agricultural land caused by breached bunds and other reasons, on top priority.

ERADICATION OF CHILD PROSTITUTION: The Goa Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the government to take steps to eradicate child prostitution at the red-light area of Baina-Vasco and to rehabilitate the children, on a resolution moved by Cumbharjua MLA Nirmala Sawant urging the government to make compulsory registration schemes for identifying sex workers in Baina and to provide them with medical care besides eradicating child prostitution.

WATER REGULTION BILL: The Goa Ground Water Regulation Bill, 2001, seeking to protect the age-old irrigation systems from indiscriminate exploitation and pollution in the coastal, mining and industrial areas, was granted for introducing in the Assembly on January 19. The Bill requires every ground-water user to register his well within 60 days after the Act comes into force.

ZEROING ON VAZE: The Opposition raise cain at the Zero Hour in the Assembly over the government's decision to appoint Avinash Vaz as the chairman of the Goa Public Service Commission, but the proceedings were expunged by the Speaker.

VOTER I-CARDS: Elections minister Ramakant D Khalap told the Assembly on January 20 that the Goa government had spent Rs.98,38,680 to get identity cards for all the voters in Goa, but the process is far from complete because of the poor response of electors to take photographs. Those of us, who have received the cards, know that instead of photographs the contractors for the job had printed out shadows on the I-cards.

AGUADA AMUSEMENT PARK: Tourism Minister Philip Neri Rodrigues informed the Assembly that the Taj Group of hotels, to whom the Aguada Plateau was leased to set up the Amusement Park (rent chargeable Rs.1 crore per year of 5% of the gross turnover which is higher), has made the initial payment of Rs.50 lakh as the deposit.

TOURISM MASTER PLAN: Tourism Minister Rodrigues informed the Assembly that the Basic Information Report State I and the Interim Report Stage II have been received from the New Delhi consultants, in connection with the new Master Plan for Tourism in Goa.

CYBER-SAVVY GOA: The Minister for I T, Ramakant Khalap, outlined a multi-pronged thrust to make Goa an "intelligent" state by proposing a "cyber city" at the Mandrem-Morjim plateau, an information technology centre at Dona Paula, and an info-tech council to be headed by the Raghuvir Mashelkar for its implementation. Khalap placed before the House the policy documents aimed at helping the growth of economy through I T and creating a fully E-governed, information-rich State with real-time access to information, on-line commercial transactions, state-of-the-art communications and industrial infrastructure.

JOINT CADRE ISSUE: While replying to a calling attention motion by Leader of the Opposition Luizinho Faleiro and Alexio Sequeira, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that an independent cadre for a small State like Goa would not viable. The government was also exploring the possibility of a joint cadre with the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Nagar Haveli. Parrikar said that the final decision will be arrived at in consultation with the House.

NON-GOAN STAFF OF STARRED HOTELS: Doubting the accuracy of the information provided by Labour Minister Dr Suresh Amonkar that 2,038 of the 2,750 staff members employed in the starred hotels were Goans, Tivim MLA Dayanand Narvekar of the GPCP asked about the criteria the government had followed to check whether the hotel staff members were actually Goans. Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao said that the five-star hoteliers mostly employed non-Goans and that the figures provided by the minister were wrong.

COMUNIDADE LAND: Chief Minister Parrikar informed Saligao MLA Dr Wilfred de Souza (NCP) in the House that the identification of the encroachments on Comunidade land will be completed by February end, following which the necessary action will be initiated in the matter. Parrikar also said that the Goa Panchayati Raj Act will be amended to make the panchayats accountable in the illegal constructions in Comunidade land.

ENTERTAINMENT TAX BILL: The Goa Entertainment Tax (Amendment) Bill 2001, moved by Chief Minister Parrikar, for amending the provisions so as to cover the river cruises, boat cruises and casinos of all kinds, was adopted by the Goa Assembly by a voice vote.

By the time the House was adjourned sine die by Speaker Pratapsing Rane on January 22, a lot of discussion and debating had taken place among the 40 elected representatives of the people. Quite of bit of the verbal exchanges of the legislators were concerned, as usual, with trading accusations between the treasury benches and the opposition. But an Assembly Session does give the public a bit of an insight into a few facts and figures as the ministers answer some specific questions.

Subtle differences too surface between statements of two legislators, like when Minister Ramakant Khalap said that the certain type of development is being planned for the backward taluka of Pernem so that it will compliment the proposed Mopa airport, the same party's MP, Ramakant Angle, that Mopa airport is not needed at all when we Goa possesses a centrally located Dabolim airport. Of course, some of the views, particularly Angle's, did not form a part of the Assembly proceedings.

One wishes such Sessions could be held a little more often as they help show how alert some of our legislators are (of course, only when they relegated to the back benches). For many of our legislators, what appears awfully amiss from outside the fence, looks almost alright once inside. The Assembly sessions also offers an opportunity for various comanisations to come out on the streets to air their problems.

JD