By Rajan Narayan

AND A few more stray thoughts and a few more observations for yet another Sunday. For a Sunday following the week when Sudin Dhavlikar managed to retain his kodel in the cabinet because of Pawar-giri. For a Sunday following the week when Manohar Parrikar intensified his campaign against illegal mining in the state. For a Sunday following the week when the Russians fell out with the villagers of Morjim and Arambol. For a Sunday following the week when the corruption within the police, particularly the Anti Narcotics Cell, was exposed. For a Sunday following the week when Home Minister Ravi Naik strengthened his alleged hold over the drug mafia in the state. For a Sunday following the week when there were protests in Maharashtra over fake Goa liberation freedom fighters.

PAWAR-GIRI

AND a few stray thoughts on why Sharad Pawar, the union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief, sabotaged the reshuffling of the Digamber Kamat cabinet which would have cost Sudin Dhavlikar his place in the cabinet. Indeed the last rites had already been administered to Sudin Dhavlikar’s kodel in the cabinet as transport minister. The dissident lobby within the Congress has been very unhappy about the dropping of Pandurang Madkaikar and Dayanand Narvekar, Congress members, from the cabinet to accommodate Sudin Dhavlikar and Babush Monserrate, members of the group of seven permanently rebellious MLAs extending support to the Digamber Kamat government.

Digamber Kamat, on his part, has been anxious to drop Babush Monserrate, who has been the originator of most of the mutinies against his position as chief minister, and reinstate Dayanand Narvekar, who was dropped from the cabinet ostensibly because a charge-sheet had been filed against him in the cricket ticket scam. The Congress High Command had given Digamber Kamat the green signal to drop both Sudin Dhavlikar and Babush Monserrate from the cabinet to re-induct Dayanand Narvekar and Pandurang Madkaikar. The Chief Minister, who does not have an equation with either Dayanand Narvekar or Babush Monserrate, decided to test the waters by implementing only one part of the High Command directive which was to drop Sudin Dhavlikar and replace him by Pandurang Madkaikar. Digamber Kamat probably thought that it would be far easier to drop Dhavlikar as his wife, if not Dhavlikar himself, had been implicated in the Margao and Sancoale blasts that occurred on the eve of Diwali.

SWEARING-IN

AS is well known by now, the arrangements for dropping Sudin Dhavlikar and swearing in Pandurang Madkaikar had already been finalised and the media informed about the swearing in ceremony. Unfortunately for Digamber Kamat, Speaker Pratapsingh Raoji Rane strongly objected to the dropping of Sudin Dhavlikar from the cabinet, presumably because of the historical ties between the Ranes and the Dhavlikars. The only truth in Sudin Dhavlikar’s statement in denying the allegations of his very close links with the Sanatan Sanstha is that seven generations of his family have been involved with spirituality meaning that he comes from a community of professional priests.

But what took Digamber Kamat by shock and surprise was a vociferous and vehement demand from NCP Chief Sharad Pawar demanding that the status quo be maintained and that Sudin Dhavlikar should not be dropped from the cabinet. We understand that it was not Jose Philip D’Souza, the leader of the NCP Legislative Party in the state, but Vishwajit Rane who contacted Sharad Pawar to get in to intervene to maintain the status quo and call off the scheduled dropping of Sudin Dhavlikar and the swearing in of Pandurang Madkaikar in his place. Vishwajit Rane has been the blue-eyed boy of Sharad Pawar ever since he committed his support and that of his group to the NCP.

NCP VULNERABLE

THE local NCP dare not antagonise Vishwajit Rane because the three MLAs belonging to the group could easily be marginalised by Digamber Kamat if he wishes to because even if the NCP withdraws support, the Digamber Kamat government would still retain its majority as long as it had the support of Vishwajit Rane and the Dhavlikar brothers. The real mystery therefore is: why did Sharad Pawar seek to intervene so vehemently in favour of Sudin Dhavlikar, knowing fully well that both Sudin Dhavlikar and his wife had been implicated in the bomb blast attributed to the Sanatan Sanstha? As a member of the union cabinet, Sharad Pawar could not have been unaware of the fact that the National Investigation Agency had also confirmed the involvement and even the funding of the Sanatan Sanstha by the Dhavlikar brothers. In politics, economic compulsions and interests of individual politicians and even senior leaders has always taken precedence over public interest.

I understand that the reason why Sharad Pawar intervened so vehemently was because he is allegedly closely associated with the largest and most high profile mega housing project in the state, namely the Aldeia de Goa. Hotel industry circles have been insisting that the controversial Hyatt hotel which is coming up very fast in the Aldeia de Goa complex is built on property owned by Sharad Pawar.  The hotel project is mired in controversy and the promoters, allegedly Sharad Pawar and company, have been accused of violating both TCP rules on hill cutting and CRZ regulations. Presumably Sharad Pawar is banking on the group of seven to back him if finally the Supreme Court upholds the claim that the hotel project is illegal and should be demolished because it has come up in violation of CRZ rules. It is not just Sharad Pawar but several members of the Maharashtra cabinet, notably Narayan Rane, who have extensive business interest in Goa and have a stake in the political equations in the state.

ILLEGAL MINING

AND a few stray observations on Manohar Parrikar’s insistence that more than half the cabinet is involved in illegal mining, directly or indirectly — a fact which has been confirmed to me by a leading established mine owner. Not just the established mining families like the Salgaocars, the Timblos and the Chowgules but even the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association has complained about illegal mining and demanded that the Chief Minister should take action against illegal mining. This is because the irresponsible activities of the illegal miners are creating problems for the organised sector of the industry. Unlike the established groups, which have invested huge amounts of money in infrastructure including infrastructure to reduce the adverse effect of mining, those engaged in illegal mining are fly by night operators who have entered the business just to make a quick buck and have no long term stake in the mining industry.

Till the Regional Plan 2011 was scrapped most politicians, which includes the majority of the members of the cabinet, were involved in the real estate business. Babush Monserrate had readily agreed to the demands for conversion of all his political associates, including demands from the then opposition in a spirit of loot and let loot. When the Regional Plan 2011 was scrapped, a number of politicians who had entered the real estate business to take advantage of the booming real estate prices found themselves without a major source of income. Many of them switched to mining, which became very lucrative when China entered the market for ore from Goa.

The politicians extorted the right to operate mining leases standing in the name of various individuals who had given up mining because in the pre-Chinese boom period it was not very viable and required huge investments. The advantage that the politicians enjoyed is that they could get away with operating the mines even without complying or securing the necessary clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Goa State Pollution Control Board. The complaints regarding overloading and irresponsible behaviour by transporters of ore have come from not only the affected people, but also from the established mine owners. In the case of the protest over the irresponsible transport of ore even during the curfew hours in Panchwadi, the complaint came from an established mining group — the Chowgules.

RTO COLLUSION

THE RTO has very benignly been overlooking complaints against irresponsible and illegal transport of ore because Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and his brother Deepak Dhavlikar are allegedly not only involved in mining but have a major stake in the transport of ore. When we were trying to list the members of the cabinet who were into illegal mining directly or were involved in support services like hiring machinery and trucks for the transport of ore illegally mined, we discovered that probably three-fourths of the cabinet and the Legislative Assembly of Goa have a stake and a vested interest in illegal mining. Indeed among the senior political leaders in the state, the only top level leader who is not involved in any kind of mining activity directly or indirectly is the leader of the opposition Manohar Parrikar.

ARAB AND CAMEL

AMONG. the other reasons for the NCP chief’s support for Sudin Dhavlikar and the group of seven is reported to be the directive from the Union Minister for Environment Jairam Ramesh to Chief Minister Digamber Kamat to crack down on illegal mining. The group of seven, along with other ministers and MLAs involved directly or indirectly in mining, is concerned that the proposed mining policy might affect their personal interests. Not just the Regional Plan 2021 but also the mining policy which might create problems for the black sheep among the political mining lobby is reported to have been among the main reasons for the demand for a change in leadership. Digamber Kamat is in an acute dilemma because he cannot afford to crackdown on illegal mining if he wishes to retain the chief minister’s kodel.

ANTI-RUSSIAN

AND a few stray thoughts on why Russians and the residents of Morjim and other coastal villages have fallen out. It is not as though the Russian presence in Morjim and Arambol is new. Indeed the Russian tourists have been the backbone of the economy of several coastal villages in North Goa. Some leading residents of Morjim have acknowledged that they have in the past benefited from the presence of the large number of Russian tourists who have traditionally preferred these areas. The trouble started when the Russians stopped being tourists but moved in to take over the tourism business. They started off more than a decade ago by buying huge amounts of property in Morjim and Arambol and some other northern coastal villages.

They started gradually taking over the tourism trade, going to the extent of setting up their own hotels. The Russians have also intruded into the business of transporting their competitors, not only in the coastal villages of North Goa but even South Goa. The Russians have been buying vehicles and even taking over the taxis owned by locals, depriving locals of the very lucrative business of transporting tourists. Unlike in the case of the British and the German charters, the Russians have been employing not only their own tour representatives but even their own tour guides.

Forget about being courteous and respecting the sentiments of locals, the Russians have been discouraging if not obstructing the entry of non Russian tourists to the northern coastal villages. Russians who have come to Goa on tourist visas have illegally set up hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and allegedly even whorehouses to cater to fellow Russians. Indeed like the proverbial story of the Arab and the camel, Russians have thrown out the Goans, who gave them shelter and welcomed them to their villages, from their own homes and their own businesses.

It is the arrogance of the Russians who have virtually colonised Morjim and other coastal villages in the North which has led to increasing friction. The situation is compounded by the fact that Russians are not only alleged to be involved in a big way with narcotics but have also displaced locals who used to organise rave parties. It would appear as though the villagers of Morjim and other coastal areas will have to wage another liberation war to free themselves from the clutches of Russians. Which may not be easy as Russians apparently enjoy political patronage at the highest levels in the government, particularly the home ministry. It is alleged that the present crackdown on Israeli drug peddlers is part of the war between the Russian mafia and the Israeli mafia for control of the narcotics trade in the north.

CORRUPT ANC

AND a few stray observations on the confirmation of the widespread belief that the Anti Narcotics Cell of the police and the police force in general is among the most corrupt in the country. It has been well known for quite some time that the tourist police and the traffic police routinely extort money from foreign tourists. It is equally well known that in the overwhelming majority of so called seizure of drugs and narcotic substances, only a small quantity is bought on record while the rest is retained by the police. It has been well known that policemen themselves have been involved in drug trafficking, as was dramatised by the arrest and suspension of a police constable who was caught with over a kilo of charas.

It is also well known that the drug trader thrives on kickbacks to police even at senior levels. We are not therefore surprised that the samples of drugs sent to the forensic laboratories in two high profile cases, including the case of the constable arrested for peddling, turned out to be fertiliser, or more specifically urea in one case and a mixture of coffee and some other substance in another. Presumably the actual drugs seized were sold to drug dealers or drug users and were substituted with other innocuous substances. We refuse to believe that officials of the Anti Narcotics Cell of the Goa police do not know the difference between urea and a narcotic substance.

In other states in the country, seized narcotic substances are regularly destroyed so as to ensure that the police do not get involved in the drug trade. In all the 26 years or more that I have been in Goa, I do not know of a single instance when there was organised destruction of narcotic substances seized during various drug raids. And I am also suspicious of the reasons being advanced by the Anti Narcotics Cell of the Goa police to deny access to the Narcotics Control Bureau to the Israeli drug peddler Dudu. There should be greater transparency and accountability in the seizure of drugs, the storage of seized drugs and for their periodic destruction to prevent the police from selling the seized drugs to the drug user or even worse back to the drug dealer.

DRUG MAFIA

AND a few stray observations on Home Minister Ravi Naik consolidating his alleged hold over the drug mafia in the state. We understand that the Home Minister is not too happy with what he considers excessive enthusiasm on the part of the Anti Narcotics Cell SP Veenu Bansal in cracking down on the narcotics trade. It is well known that the primary and the major market for the sale of narcotics in the state are the rave parties organised by locals, Russians and Israelis. Historically, permission for holding a rave party or for that matter any party such as a music concert or a music festival was given by the revenue officials namely the Mamlatdar or the deputy collector. The Home Minister has now decreed that no parties other than traditional functions like marriages can be organised without permission or No Objection Certificate from the Home Ministry. Which automatically ensures that the Home Minister will get his share of kickbacks from the organisers of rave parties and festivals like the Sunburn Festival.