Goa Diary

A soldier remembersWhile doomsayers take centrestage following the India-Pakistan face-off at Kargil, at least one person is looking at t...

A soldier remembers

While doomsayers take centrestage following the India-Pakistan face-off at Kargil, at least one person is looking at the silver lining. Former Army chief General Sunith Rodrigues retired is of the opinion that the war is a defining moment for the people of India.

Thanks to the media8217;s feeding frenzy at the frontline, General Rodrigues feels this conflict will not be forgotten in a hurry. 8220;It will not be business as usual once the intruders are driven out,8221; Rodrigues said.

He is of the opinion that our politicians let Kashmir turn into a festering sore by ignoring the problem. 8220;While the border between two countries is recognised internationally, the Line of control LoC is only a bilateral agreement,8221; he told this diarist last week.

Unfortunately, the veteran soldier8217;s wake-up call has come too late for the martyrs of Kargil.

Sharing the spoils

Goa, which has more politicians per person than any other State in the country, is about to suffer a bonus of thesame. The tiny State, which appears like a boil on neighbouring Maharashtra8217;s toe on the map, will soon have 225 more elected representatives. Not only will the zilla parishads be beefed up, Goa will also have panchayats at the taluka level.

Goa will have 1,810 elected representatives or one for every 660 residents, according to analysts. And to think that the people of the State were happy to see a chief minister with a Cabinet of six ministers!

Sille-Commerce

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It is not really Amazon.com, but the Goa Housing Finance Corporation has decided to throw in the towel. Set up some years ago to sell houses in Goa through the internet to non-resident Indians, the babu-infested body could not earn even Rs 5 lakh for its efforts, as any cyber-spider who inhabits the world-wide web will tell you. Buying books over the net is one thing, but purchasing houses! Scatter-brained politicians will never learn.

Tailpiece

Three months ago, some private bus routes were nationalised in Goa. The travellingpublic rejoiced, but politicians on the payroll of the bus owners cried foul. The latest to join in the breast-beating is former chief minister Wilfred D8217;Souza who is demanding justice for the bus owners. The only catch: D8217;Souza as CM had mooted nationalisation, which was executed during President8217;s rule! Talk of political expediency.