Goa dairy

According to the propaganda tidbits fed by a section of the UGDP activists and even by some Congressmen, Alemao is angling for the deputy chief minister’s job should the UGDP-Congress combination emerge victorious.

Despite his eclipse in the last Lok Sabha polls (he finished third behind the Congress and the BJP), Alemao pulls enough weight in South Goa to make him a formidable ally. A UGDP-Congress tie-up is seen as a homecoming for Alemao, who broke away from the national party a few years ago.

Interestingly, the Alemao fan club does not discount other possibilities either. In the wake of AIADMK chieftain Jayalalitha’s tantrums, an Alemaosupporter was heard ruing BJP’s lost ally! “If only he had won, Alemao could have contributed to a stable government by supporting the BJP,” he said. So which way will the domino fall? Stay tuned.

Tax on Polluters

ON World Environment Day, representatives of non-governmental organisations and ordinary citizens assembled at various fora in Goa to think up ways and means to curb pollution in the state. At a public hearing organised by the Goa Environment Commission, speakers pointed out that the Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage Control Act is violated with impunity in the state.

With the official machinery in poor shape, it was suggested that either the use of plastic be totally banned or users of plastic be heavily taxed.

Goa’s Chief Secretary G C Shrivastava, who was representing the government, promptly shot down the idea of a ban on plastic. But he was enthusiastic about introducing an environmental tax on users.

So, if the Goa government puts its money where its mouth is, it is pay-up timefor polluters.

Off the Shelf

With nearly half the government employees in the state identified as surplus, the Pratapsinh Rane government does not encourage young Goans to aspire for government jobs.

Opportunities in the private sector are not rosy either as poor infrastructure, particularly inadequate availability of water and power, is a major deterrent to investors.

Now Industry Minister Luizinho Faleiro has come up with a bright idea to eradicate unemployment.

According to a scheme proposed by him, unemployed youth in groups of 20 each could approach the industry ministry’s manpower development cell for assistance in self-employment.

The intention, of course, is noble. Now, can someone cut the red tape?

Tailpiece

Ripley would have loved it. A dog shooter employed by a municipal corporation is supposed to have shot 723 dogs in just 11 days during the month of April. This fact surfaced recently, when the Bicholim Municipal Council authorised the payment of Rs 36,150 per day atthe rate of Rs 50 per dog to the gunman!

Assuming that the shooter put in a total of eight hours every day for the said 11 days, which included the long Easter weekend, he would have shot one dog every seven minutes.

If that seems improbable, there’s more. The municipal authorities insist that their employees were at hand to verify the shootings! Now, rather than animal rights activists, it is the municipal councillors who are demanding an inquiry into the episode.