It seems to have become a trend that priority issues that I had raised in a pre-emptive manner more than 2-3 months back with clear projections and solutions BUT PURPOSEFULLY sidelined by CMOs have now become critical issues with the Government having no clue as to what needs to be done despite the fact that I had brought each of these issues to the notice of the Government well in advance.

If a Government keeps turning a Nelson’s eye to the projections and suggestions of Elected Representatives, than what voice will the general public have and how can such a Government call itself as a democratic entity?

If the welfare of the people is not the main business of a Government, then I wonder what is its actual business?

To be more specific, WHAT IS THE BUSINESS OF GOA GOVERNMENT HEADED BY DR. PRAMOD SAWANT if not public welfare??

Coming to the point of Online Education, it may be appreciated that I have made my point much earlier to that the future lies in Online Schooling to tide over not just the pandemic times but also to keep up with the changing trends in education.

While the CM is still thinking of obtaining a database of those not having mobiles/laptops and net connectivity, I had already highlighted this problem 3 months back alongwith suggestions that a clear database need to be kept ready regarding this before we launched Online Schooling. I had also suggested that local self government bodies, panchayats, etc should be included in the drive to provide the same for those economically marginalised students who cannot afford a smartphone or net connectivity.

I am shocked to note that the Intranet Services that the Govt. could easily solve the problem of Online Schooling is still in the doldrums. Even now, I am ready to take the challenge to make it happen and I have committed myself to no less than the CM of Goa in the august presence of the Speaker and other members of Goa Assembly.

Educational Future of our children is a very serious matter but the CM and the Government seems to be treating it as a mundane affair with no seriousness. Teachers, parents and above all Students are being taken for granted and this rotten Government apathy will eat into an entire generation if not struck down at the root immediately.

Solutions should be permanent and long lasting in this field because Online Schooling is here to stay so temporary solutions and mishandled SOPs shouldn’t plague this sector as it is in all other sectors of the CMOs anarchy and ill-governance.

Whether the Government proactively reacts to my suggestions is a matter of doubt and hence, I take it upon myself to launch a “Spare a Mobile Phone Challenge” in my constituency wherein I urge anyone who can to donate a working smartphone to “Porvorim Rising” which will ensure a transparent transfer of the instrument to needy students in my constituency and also to the neighbouring constituencies as per availability.

I urge the CM to be clear with the directives atleast on this sensitive subject of Education because it concerns the very future of our children. We cannot fail them on this aspect.

I had prepared for a discussion on many other relevant issues but due to the arbitrary handling of the Assembly session I decided to raise my voice on the most sensitive subject of Online Schooling because this concerns the very future of our children which directly means the future of Goa.

It’s been but a non-constructive dialogue since the CM who’s also handling the Education portfolio was totally unaware of the problems plaguing this Department. He couldn’t offer any credible solutions to the queries and kept on harping that he will look into the matter and his usual stance that he’s studying on the subject. I am beginning to wonder who’s the real student of today. I am finding it difficult to find a line of connection between Education Department and CM as I hang my head in shame at such a pitiful state of affairs in a Department under the direct control of the Head of State.

The Shakespearean tragedy that began with the Accidental Elevation of Pramod Sawant to the CMs Chair has ended today with the last scene enacting the Murder of Democracy on the stage of Goa’s Assembly.

Corona pandemic has once again proved to be an effective tool for the Autocratic Doctor to suffocate the voices of the Elected Representatives as well as the people of Goa who were expecting relief on a plethora of issues ranging from Mollem, illegal mining, IIT fiasco, Electricity bills, monsoon related matters, rehabilitation of seafarers and expat Goans who have come back, providing rejuvenation packages to small and medium scale businesses that were either shut down or have lost business following the pandemic and above all, the stand of the Government on the terrifying and deathly Covid situation.

Instead of using the Assembly session to address such highly sensitive subjects and bringing in a sense of confidence and calm and discussing economic relief measures, our CM has gone ahead with his usual business of Autocratic imposition of his corrupt agenda…

If the CM was as clean as he wants everyone to believe then the Assembly was the most oppurtune stage to prove himself clear of all the scams and corruption levelled against him and his brood.

Today seems to be a day of Dark Records in Goa, in the first half the Autocratic CM passed a record number of bills in the one day Assembly Session gimmick after bundling out the Opposition from the Assembly which is considered the seat of Democracy and then by evening Goa today recorded the highest number of Covid cases per day by clocking 258 and also crossing the 5K active cases mark.

Sometime back I had said that if the autocracy of CM Pramod Sawant continues its present run then our present generation will directly experience Salazar’s dictatorial reign.

The Lokayukta had prophesied with much foresight “God alone can save Goa”.

I had envisaged addressing a broad spectrum of problems in the upcoming Assembly session which but has been arbitrarily curtailed by the CMOs to just a token one day affair. It is not understood how the myriad problems of an entire state could be tabled let alone resolved in a single day.

The Assembly is the only viable forum for elected representatives to voice and seek redressal of a multitude of issues being faced not just in their respective constituencies but the state as a whole. Its only in the General Assembly that a consensus could be achieved on major issues concerning governance and its improvisations.

When all other Government businesses are being conducted normally even through the 3 day Total Lockdown I do not understand why we cannot hold a longer Assembly session? Every MLA is aware of the Covid protocols and will abide by it and the sessions can be held in the sanitised environment of our Secretariat by responsibly maintaining social distancing which I am sure everyone of us can.

The precarious situation which the state is going through on all fronts in these pandemic times definitely warrants a longer assembly session for constructive dialogue to enable consensus based decision making for resolution of vitally extant as well as emergent subjects.

One of the main issues I had decided to bring forth in assembly was more effective Covid control by calling for a consensus decision on items that I have been harping for a long time like – Availing the services of Army Medical Corps to supplement our limited medical capacities.

Our Covid Warriors need rest & backup to continue their fight. They are doing Super Human tasks against Corona but we must remember that they too are human and need rest & recuperation and also the assurance of a strong back up force which the AMC will capably provide . It will be a great relief to our Medical Fraternity that has been on its tenterhooks with the everyday spike becoming unmanageable resulting in many a setback in effective management of Corona cases which has drawn flak against the government. Secondly, I still stand by and would want to demand for Railway Isolation Coaches to meet the shortage of bed count in our hospitals. Based on the scientific observations of highly qualified people from the Medical Fraternity in the country, I have been regularly warning the Government of an uncontrollable spike in Corona cases in July & August and sadly, the same has proved true and has caught our Government machinery unprepared for the same despite repeated and desperate reminders from likeminded public representatives like me.

Secondly, I wanted to stress on the derelict law and order situation in the state as most of our police personnel are pressed into Covid control duties. Intelligence gathering and crime control mechanisms has taken a backseat. Miscreants are making good of the absence of police in the usual scenarios and are getting away with small and big crimes thus creating a sense of insecurity amongst the citizens which needs to be considered seriously in view of the fact that the people are already in a panic mindset due to the pandemic and its evergrowing spread. The Government should focus on getting the direct involvement of Local Self Government Bodies, Panchayats, Zilla Parishads and Volunteer groups to monitor the Covid scenario and thus ease the load on our police personnel so that they can concentrate on the deteriorating law and order situation. Failure to address the situation will definitely result in mayhem and possible civil unrest as the escalating Corona cases are straining the state resources to the maximum and the population is both frustrated & frightened and a heightened level of public trepidation is not a good sign for a healthy civil society.

I find it very constraining to repeatedly harp on the fact that Calangute has become a hotbed of lawlessness, mafia influence, drug culture and that the vices of crime and prostitution have made their home in the Calangute belt. Recent cases of drugs and prostitution that hit the news have proven me right once again.

Every time I raised these issues, the elected representative of the constituency pulls personal barbs at me when all I have been doing is my duty as an MLA in highlighting the social and criminal malaise that has been plaguing Calangute and its vicinity which has the potential to become a shameful and full blown issue which will affect the standing of Goa and challenge the very Government that is slow pedalling on these absolutely grave issues that are threatening the very fabric of peaceful society in these areas.

I urge the Goa Government to show its strong commitment towards a peaceful and crime free society and rid Calangute of its Politician-Drug Mafia-Prostitution nexus at the earliest with stringent and effective action.

It is also most pertinent that the Assembly dwells seriously on the growing concerns of Goans regarding the Mollem issue which threatens the very essence of naturally endowed Goa. We simply cannot afford to support anything that will affect the natural beauty and bounty of Goa and the survival of the Western Ghats which are the lungs of entire South Western India. When the entire world is promoting only naturally co-existing developmental activities that will help conserve whatever little of nature is left on this planet, we Goans who have a proud heritage of protecting our natural flora and fauna, simply cannot agree to these activities that will destroy Goa and make it inhabitable for our future generations…The voices are growing and I have already written to the Central Environment Ministry as well as the Apex Court detailing the nuances and calling for intervention. I earnestly appeal to Goa Government and CMOs to take an immediate decision to disband forthwith all activities that threaten the fragile biodiversity of Mollem.

There’s also the glaring humanitarian issue of providing a rehabilitation platform for those who have come back to Goa from distant lands where they had established their livelihoods but had to give up all that and return back, many of them, almost empty handed.

Similar action is warranted for those small and medium businesses that were forced to close shop in wake of Corona. Lot’s of livelihoods have been lost and support modes of providing the basic necessities through the public distribution system for an extended period needs to be discussed and implemented in an inclusive manner that covers even those on living on the fringes of our society without any documented identity to be covered by the PDS.

The Government also should start adopting a rational approach to objections raised by the Opposition or other any other organisation to its proposals. If there’s a validity in the points of objection then the most rational step for any democratic government is to think of better alternatives rather than try to suppress the objections/opposition. Consider the IIT issue, since there is an opposition with regards to its proposed location, it will be in the best interest of the state and public that the Government identifies an alternative location instead of trying to suppress the opposition and cause for a conflict that might result in loss of this prestigious project.

Budget discussions should concentrate more on Economic Revival. We need to hold productive discussions with reference to the Budget for implementation of an economic revival package in view of the dwindling revenues and overall slump of the state economy. Dialogue should begin on priority basis for initiating the right steps involving all the stakeholders. The more we delay, the more onerous will be task to salvage the economy.

I am hoping that the Government adopts a pragmatic approach to the overall suggestions from well meaning elected representatives and come out with a genuine effort to leverage Goa from the present socioeconomic disarray by taking everyone into confidence. Together let’s fight not just the pandemic but the economic slump that threatens to derail the development of Goa.

While I was contemplating the nature of action to be taken on the highly sensitive issue of Diversion of Forest lands at the Mollem National Park & Bhagvan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, I have been approached by various forums of naturalists, environmentalists, conservationists and other concerned milieu.

Even in these pandemic times, our nature lovers are showing a heightened level of concern since it has the potential to destroy the pristine forest lands of Goa & hence I have taken it upon myself to escalate the matter to the highest level and pursue it on behalf of all nature loving Goans until a positive rethink takes place on the subject.
We Goans take pride in the abundance of natural beauty and bounty bestowed upon Goa and it’s the personal responsibility of all true nature loving Goenkars to raise their voices against this proposed devastation of our natural flora and fauna which attracts people from world over.
Today, we’re witnessing so many natural disasters mitigated by the greedy destruction of nature by man. The rapid depletion Green cover as we go on clearing forests for unplanned infrastructural purposes is leading to climate change, cyclones, storms, floods, mudslides etc with increasing frequency.

Our cities are filled with unbreathable air as we’re going on destroying the greenery around us.

Mollem is part of the Western Ghats that are the lungs of Goa as well as the entire South Western India and we should not allow any encroachment on the natural bounty where even today, new species of plant and animal life is being discovered.
We shall not allow this rare biodiversity hotspot to be tampered with for the greed of a few men.
We owe a responsibility to the plant, bird and animal life who’re the original owners of these forest lands.

We cannot afford to be passive onlookers while our co-habitants of this beautiful planet are doomed to extinction.

I personally feel a deep responsibility to preserve Goa with all it’s natural abundance for our future generations and will go to any lengths and do everything in my capacity to ensure the protection & flourishing of our forest lands which in turn will ensure our survival and that of our future generations. (more…)

The CMO seems to have lost all credibility of Good Governence and has become an epitome of ludicrous Mismanagement, Corruption and Administrative failure.

First, it was the Lokayukta who left Goa at God’s mercy citing the absolute corruption and coverups by the CM and his Collaborators, in-fact it’s the first time that the Lokayukta has made such sharply negative observations against any CM in India.

Then came the ED Action against the very person whom the CM had welcomed into the BJP fold despite already being tainted in the Communidade land scam.

And now the Governor himself has accused the CM for falsifying his stand on the press and worse still, the Hon’ble Governor has also remarked adversely on the mismanagement of Covid spread in Vasco.

Not just myself but every credible leader in the Opposition had called for a Total Containment of Vasco with a Lockdown but as usual, good suggestions always fall on deaf ears of the CMOs and it’s utter shame that His Excellency was forced to make a remark on this mismanagement.

I had decided to stop criticism and be a proactive partner of the CMOs in the common fight against Corona but as an elected representative, it’s becoming simply impossible to ignore the rabid encroachment on democracy, the absurdity of crucial directives, the utter mismanagement of pandemic and failure of governance on all fronts.

Even if we ignore other fallacies, it has now become crystal clear to Goans that CMOs is either purposefully mismanaging Covid crisis with some ulterior motives OR that it’s actually gloriously inefficient. Whatever the reason be, with Goa crossing 3000 cases & 20 deaths, it’s perhaps time the Governer in his learned capacity, took charge of at least the Covid management so that despite the corruption and mayhem that’s plaguing Goa, atleast no more Goan lives will be lost to Covid and the pandemic will be controlled under the able helmsmanship of His Excellence.

With the spike in infections and our Corona Saviour Dr.Edwin Gomes also testing positive and deaths continuing its upward trend, I request the CM to impose a Total Lockdown as it’s the only viable solution to contain the superspread that Goa is witnessing.

A simple suggestion
Let’s give the public a time gap until 17th July to prepare for the lockdown and impose a Total Lockdown in Goa from 18th July to 2nd August.

If the CM doesn’t have the guts to take a decision independently than he should call a Video Conference of all MLAs to obtain a Public Consensus for imposing a Total Lockdown.

If the CM had the least bit of concern for Goans he would have long back acted upon my suggestions to bring in Railway Isolation Coaches and if they were available today, there wouldn’t be the need for panic and the false alarm about people being forcibly discharged from hospitals.

Secondly, if the Army Medical Corps were liaised with earlier, we wouldn’t be in this frighteningly helpless situation where our hospitals are being strained to their maximum capacity and so our medical staff.

Similarly, I had suggested about setting up a monitoring committee starting from the Panchayats & local self governing units linking right up to the CMOs office with information and statistics being handled in realtime and all the resources available with Panchayats and other local self governing bodies, voluntary organizations etc to be put to use for close monitoring of quarantined persons and enable mobilization of a local force in time of emergency. Now after a long hiatus, the Government has decided to make amendments in the Panchayat Raj Act but that too with ulterior political motives in the veil of Corona control. When will this Government ever act impartially with the sole agenda of Goan Welfare?

It’s slightly heartening to see that my request to reserve 40% beds in private hospitals has been implemented albeit watered down to 20%. I am still confused as to why the CM waits for things to reach the worst stage before implementing very valid and studied suggestions from me or other members of the opposition.Why the political lethargy when lives are at stake? When will Goa see a real people’s CM who will act for once in the interest of Goenkars.

Even now acting upon the suggestions on emergency basis and imposing a Total Lockdown should be the priority of CMOs and if finds it below his High Chair to implement suggestions given by a small opposition MLA like me, then the CM can very well give credit to the nearby BJP state of Karnataka for giving inspiration to him and his government but please stop this game of political one-upmanship and do something credible to save Goa. I am just a tool working for Goans, use me for the good of Goenkars, I do not crave for credits but just take proactive action to save my fellow Goans.

While there are 40 odd positive cases in Chicalim and topped up with the gravity of a death case also, there is no reflection of Chicalim cases in the official bulletin. The CMOs office is committing a grave mistake by hiding the facts and figures regarding Corona from the general public. The citizens have a right to know about the gravity of the situation which is going beyond control day by day and with Goa recording a high of 136 cases in a single day, the worst scenario’s we have imagined are sadly coming true. This is not the time for hiding facts and playing the political game wherein the BJP wants all its governing states to show a good performance of Covid control in comparison to the non-BJP states. This forces the Government Officers to curtail the real facts and give out figures that are pleasing to their political bosses. Such practises are common in politics but surely not in the time of a pandemic that has wreaked havoc in our lives…
How the CM and BJP justify the hiding of facts and figures in these difficult times is a case study for election speculative politics.

Suppressing figures from public domain is a very treacherous way for a Government to deal with its populace. People have a right to know the dangers of the tragic developments so that their awareness is increased and those who have been treating it lightly because of the “Bhivpachi Garaj Na” campaign will become more serious about their own health and welfare that of their fellow citizens by realising that “Actually, Bhivpachi Garaj Asa”.
Unfortunately, this need of reality check and transparency is lost on the CM and at his behest the entire Goa Government is in a denial mode and flaunting a false bravado since it’s in the interest of the BJP government in Goa as well as at the Centre to subdue facts & figures.
The Goa BJP seems to forget that they could not even take care of one of their own stalwarts, Dr.Amonker who is rumoured to have got infected from Manipal hospital but the facts are being downplayed for reasons known only to the CMOs but whatever it maybe, this is absolutely unbecoming of any political party that seemingly acts so much full of high principles and standards and yet this and many such incidents are being hideously kept away from public domain for motives so devious beyond common sense.
While it is very sad that our noble doctors & medical staff are being infected, this also reveals a much larger fear-provoking picture because the number of people a Doctor/medical staff comes into contact is very extensive and causes for grave concern as detection of the chain of contacts will be an onerous task.
The entire handling of the Corona crisis from day one reeks of utter administrative stupidity and mismanagement of the highest order and continuance to do so will create a serious Law and Order situation in Goa as panic takes over common sense. Directives and SOPs without any foresight/planning even in times of a pandemic have a dangerous potential for a civic unrest in peaceful Goa & should be avoided at all costs. Its time the CM mended his ways and stepped down from his high seat of autocratic idiocy & mismanagement and brushed up his act and started acting in political consensus with the elected representatives instead of bothering about who will get political credits with a view to the elections.
The ever spiking figures & deaths are too high for a small state like Goa and it will not be long before we have a 100% positive status if this trend is left uncontrolled by hiding facts and figures and CMOs taking a detached approach from the grim realities that are overshadowing the very existence of Goans.
The only credible method to control this alarming situation beyond the much awaited vaccine is to take these two drastic steps which are of utmost necessity right now :-
1. Putting up in public domain the Real figures & up-to-date information regarding the number of infected cases, quarantined persons, actual deaths due to Covid [instead of veiling these deaths under pretext of other ailments] and declaration of full status regarding the control mechanisms in containment zones.
2. A strict no compromise Total Lockdown and extension of Corona protocol in all sectors, irrespective of their economic viability for this is no time to give precedence to economy but to human welfare.
This is the real moment of test when we should be actually implementing the triple call of our PM to “Stay at Home, Stay at Home, Stay Home” and thus Break the Chain failing which grief and mounting body bags will become a reality in Goa.
My request to the CM is to stop finding political opportunities with a view towards the elections and realise that Corona Vote-Bank politics will work only if there are Voter’s left around after this pandemic.

I am utterly happy for Goans at the decision of the CM to involve the defence services for Covid control and to procure frontline medications. I had suggested these steps 2 months back and even written to the PM requesting for the services of Army Medical Corps and during the All Party meet last month, I had categorically mentioned the need to procure the frontline Covid treatment medication ACTEMRA (Tocilizumab) at a subsidised rate from Cipla so that everyone could afford this costly medicine. I had given the suggestion only after studying the applicability and availability of the medication. I had also gone one step ahead and suggested that Cipla which has been making huge profits in India had the moral responsibility to provide this costly medicine to us at subsidised rates for which Government pressure and action is warranted. Albeit very late I appreciate the ONLY PROACTIVE ACTION since Corona by CMOs towards Covid control in Goa and a good beginning at that. BUT it also gives food for thought that, had this been implemented earlier, we wouldn’t have been in this advanced stage of transmission which has gone beyond the controlling capacity of Goa Government. Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to take these steps much earlier? By now Goa would have been back in the safe zone and on the way to economic revival but now we’re in a far dangerously advanced stage and these few steps won’t help control the situation. There’s an urgent need to also implement my suggestions of total lockdown as is now being done in neighbouring states in similar situations. I had already suggested involvement of local self help groups, Panchayats etc to ensure grassroots level control mechanism and I am glad that it’s being implemented now but there still is a grey area regarding dissemination of information to and from the grassroots to the CMOs with total transparency. No more hiding of facts and figures because it’s time we understand that An Informed Population is a Proactive Population. It’s also become an absolute necessity to involve the Private Health Sector into Covid control programme by reserving 40% of beds for Corona patients failing which we shall run out of hospital beds considering the present spike rate because the Government hasn’t taken steps to procure Railway Isolation Coaches as was repeatedly suggested by me. Having these Isolation Coaches would have helped in ensuring stricter quarantine. The CMOs can still take the initiative to liaise with Railways for the Isolation Coaches. What saddens me again and again is that I had projected all these solutions with credibility but the CM conveniently ignored them as it would have perhaps affected his game of oneupmanship if he had accepted solutions of an independent MLA in opposition. What the CM failed to appreciate in his Arrogance is that each of my suggestions were presented in a studied manner after obtaining credible inputs from experts in the field. None of my proactive suggestions were having any potential benefits for me nor were they intended to score any brownie points. Each of my solutions were only for the common good of Goan people and time has proved me right but it’s nothing to be happy about because Corona has reached that dangerous level in Goa, which I had so dreaded in my projections. Yet it’s comforting to know that the Government has finally woken up to the reality and has decided to implement my suggestions and save Goans from ghastly Corona deaths. I want the CM to know that he can call me at any unearthly hour when others might not respond, I shall be available for whatever reason he may find me useful but this time around let the call be genuine with no politics but only the sole intention of fighting Corona. My request to the CM is not to look at me as a political adversary at this time, we can have our political game’s later but right now I am just a concerned representative of the people with a fervent urge to free Goans from the clutches of Corona and I expect the CMOs to put up an all inclusive fight involving every hand available be it of your own or opposition. These are strange time’s that require stranger coalition’s beyond politics. I pledge my full support to the Government in every possible manner from grassroots level onwards to combat this vicious virus. Together, let’s beat a retreat to this virus out of Goa.We owe it to our future generations to make Goa safe for them by putting up a united fight today.

Our Dr CM in his medical wisdom has decided to hold just a token one day session of Assembly and it makes one wonder whether it’s really the fear of Corona or People’s power.

When the CM keeps saying that there’s nothing to be afraid about Covid then why’s he and his cabinet afraid of holding the Assembly session just as normally as the CM runs his day to day affairs of the state with the motto “Bhivpachi Garaj Na”.

If he’s so very motivatingly telling Goans to take things in their stride and that Goans have a great immunity then why’s he shrinking from facing a full Assembly? Is he doubtful of his Goan credentials and immunity OR is it that with every one of his corrupt follies being exposed including the latest ED action on one of his favourite partners Sandeep Vazarkar, he’s now afraid that the Opposition will tear him apart and bring him down from his high chair.

If he’s so clean then let him hold a full fledged Assembly online projected on cable tv and every other media without fear…If kid’s can study online, if teachers can take online classes, if doctors can work with telemedicine and if his Delhi Masters can run the country online and above all if he’s got nothing to fear, not even Corona, then why Mr Pramod Sawant do you shy from a full fledged Assembly session. After all its the Assembly where every Government faces it’s real test of democratic acceptance by the people who elected it. But then again, how would an Accidental CM who believes only in Corruption know about democratic acceptance?

His expertise in corrupt governance and extraordinary talent to find opportunities of money making even in a pandemic, makes him the Head of Corruption not Head of State and it’s common knowledge that Autocratic Head Honchos don’t like to be questioned in a democratic manner.

There are so many emergent issues to be discussed openly and democratically. So many grave mistakes that need to be revisited by the people’s representatives, so many rectifications and and remedies requiring common consensus.

The CM seems to be using Corona for his advantage in a two faced manner, on one side he uses Corona protocols to camouflage his corrupt practices, protect his cronies, suppress people’s opposition, cancel Assembly session and on the other hand he’s been telling simple unsuspecting Goans that there’s nothing to be afraid about Corona.

But now Goans are upto his game of blatant hypocrisy and that’s why our Dr CM is worried that if he holds the Assembly, then it might be the last session that he may preside as CM.

Time and again I have been earnestly stressing on the fact that Community transmission is a reality in Goa but my genuine observations were treated with political disdain by the CM and the Goa Government.

I was fervently raising my voice out of genuine concern for my fellow Goans but the CM and his Quarantine Tourism Henchman Lobo were conveniently ignoring the dangerous situation and exploiting the relaxations of Unlock-1 to fill their coffers.

Even after the all party meet where every leader worth his salt made it clear that the situation is getting out of control, our Dr CM came out with the deadly oneliner “Bhivpachi garaz na”.

Would he still continue saying that when his tomfoolery despite ever growing cases has now reached catastrophic proportions.

Would both these devilish minds still go ahead with their plans to open up the hotel industry in the name of economic welfare when the whole world is thinking in terms of survival welfare.
Now since the CM has finally acknowledged community transmission albeit very late, will he show the willpower and prudence in sealing the borders, increase testing ratio, prepare for the worst by soliciting help from the Army Medical Corps, requisition Rail Isolation Coaches OR will he still go with the agenda of moneybags while Goans end up in Corona body bags 10 feet under with not even decent final rites.

I seriously feel that it’s time to do away with Home Quarantine and make Institutional Quarantine compulsory because its the only way to ensure total containment against further spread.
Letting people be to take care of themselves will not help. This is the time when the State should take control of things to ensure that no more lives are lost to COVID-19.

If we fail in taking the drastic steps now, then our very existence is at stake and sadly there won’t be anyone left to even point out that Dr Pramod Sawant and his inhuman governance wiped out the population of Goa.

I appeal to the CM and Government to wake up to the imminent truth that the shadow of death is looming large over Goans.

Read my editorial on today’s Herald on the fuel price hike in Goa: Click Here

With the Covid death in Morlem, the worst fears of Goans are coming true. Will the CM drop his ‘nothing to worry about Corona’ attitude and take emergent actions towards total containment of hotspots and sealing of our borders as I have been repeatedly requesting him to.

I feel really at loss of words and also very embarrassed to keep on repeating the same pleas that are falling on deaf years of the CMOs Office. I want to make it clear that my fervent appeals to the CM/Government are not spawned out of any political agenda but out of my frustration towards the inaction of the Government that is leading Goa to the terrifying scenario that is presently being seen in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc.
Goa is geographically very small but densely populated in most areas due to which the transmission of the virus could prove uncontrollably fast BUT at the same time, the small size also offers us the advantage to ensure total containment and effective control, provided there is a Government will to do so. I am already doing my level best by not just highlighting the problems to the CMOs but even to the PM of India and have undertaken all measures possible in my capacity to contain the spread in my constituency by personal intervention wherever possible. I am available at ground zero not in my constituency.

But I don’t want to limit myself to just my constituency because I feel a moral responsibility towards all Goans and I am willing to co-ordinate necessary containment and relief works in any area required in collaboration with the respective local representatives and government machinery. My concern for each and every Goan life is what makes me critical of the blunders and inaction of the Government in combating the Corona crisis. These blunders have brought us to a very precarious stage from where a return to normalcy seems a far cry and its time we revamped out strategies with a United will to protect Goan lives. It’s time for the Government to seek every possible help cutting across political divides so that each and every part of Goa is under strict surveillance involving everyone because its time that each one of us took care of not just ourselves but also ensure that our fellow citizens are also safely observing all the Covid control norms for the larger good of everyone.

I hope the Morlem death serves as a wakeup call to the CM/Government and also to each and every Goan to strictly abide by Covid control directives, reduce outings to the bare minimum, observe personal hygiene and make every possible effort to overcome this frightening scenario without any further fatalities.