The monsoon season is not yet over, but the road embankments, just built, have collapsed and the roads tarred just before the rains have been washed away. The Smart City works have become a can of worms. The roof of the yet to be inaugurated court complex at Merces was blown over. The Kala Academy Complex renovation works have been a subject matter of ridicule.
The main engine of the ‘double engine’ has fared worse. Who can believe the 13 new bridges could fall down in one State and a newly-built tunnel in the national capital gets submerged, as we all forget the Morbi Bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat? The water leakage at the Ram Mandir and the leaking roof of the new Parliament building only provides the extent of the rot in the infrastructure system.
Nothing can be more embarrassing than the collapse of the Shivaji statue in Sindhudurg. The allegation that only Rs 1.5 crore being spent on the construction and Rs 236 crore siphoned out of State’s coffers now looks so probable. The statue was unveiled by the Prime Minister six months back, in time for elections. Probably it is our fault, to believe that the government spends on what is meant for us. We forget that it is meant for ribbon cutting optics and in cases of collapse or wash away actually provide opportunities for re-tendering!
The infrastructure projects always had a taint of corruption. The PWD portfolio was always sought after until the glitter of TCP became noticeable. As contractors cut corners to adjust the illegal payouts, quality suffered. It was earlier restricted to around 10%, but when a PWD contractor becomes a PWD Minister, the taint is bound to become dirt! Earlier, there was some shame and remorse over poor quality, now they believe it is
their entitlement.
The Karnataka State contractors’ association president, the 80-year-old D K Kempanna stated: “Before we do the pooja to commence any project such as road works or any other work allotted to us, we are supposed to pay 10 to 15% of the project cost as bribe to the MLAs. When the tender is approved, we have to pay 3 to 4% of the cost. Similarly, graft has to be paid at every level as the project progresses. To get the payment due to us after completing the work, we have to pay a bribe of 5 to 10%. Totally, it comes to around 35 to 40% of the project cost.” Do we require any proof of what the defecting MLAs mean by ‘development’?
If the shoddy infrastructure is falling apart like a pack of cards in the past few months, D K Kempanna’s complaints must apply to all ‘double engine’ works. But what has happened in the past few weeks is unprecedented. The explanation of extra rainfall with high-speed winds this year is neither adequate nor unconvincing. The engineers who earlier looked the other way, are bound
to close their eyes due to
40% syndrome.
That governance in Goa has collapsed is an understatement. The rotten system is beyond repair and the stench coming out from Aldona land-scam is unbearable. The Chief Secretary faces an accusation of a land scam. The charge of a low-lying river-side paddy field converted under a newly amended Section 17(2) of the TCP Act (under challenge before the High Court), with the CS signing the conversion and thereafter purchasing the converted plot is unpardonable. Section 16B, Section 17(2) or 39A of the TCP Act were always seen as provisions providing discretion to convert land on ‘suitcase to suitcase’ basis. For the past over three decades the real-estate mafia has been in collusion with the powers that be in the TCP Department. But the Chief Secretary of the State accused in a scam of this nature is a new low. The bureaucratic steel frame has withered away. Nobody can depend on the government and its officers any more. The takeover of the State by the real-estate vultures in collusion with our
elected and the unelected babus is total.
There is a method in this madness. Rane’s statement that the TCP ministry is his, on instruction from the Central leadership needs serious study. It must be factually correct that the Central High Command so decided. For the TCP Minister to say that boldly only undermines the authority of the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister may not be bothered about the constitutional niceties or his own self-respect as long as he enjoys the position and power. With Aldona land-scam, the belief in Goa that hills were flattened and green cover is lost to accommodate the elite from the north gets emphasised. The minister’s claim of Central high command giving him TCP only confirms that belief. The minister had the audacity to acquit the Chief Secretary as an excellent human being and a good officer, in the teeth of the scam. He tells us that there is no violation of law, which law was always known to be shady and arbitrary. He goads anybody aggrieved to go to High Court. The foul-game of bringing unreasonable laws and then challenging citizens to impugn those laws, which would be defended by the government at the cost of the taxpayers, is as old as legislative arbitrariness.
When citizens complain of corruption, they are told to give proof, as though bribes are given under receipts. When it comes to misuse of irrational laws citizens are told to challenge them in court. We are between the devil and the deep sea. Governance is hit by an epidemic like never before. We have ourselves to blame as we choose the same persons who have let down Goa, every time they change their colour. They all know our memory is very short.
(The writer is a senior advocate and a
political thinker)