SUPER SPREADERS: The candidates who are canvassing for votes in the CCP civic election may be spreading covid-19 or exposing themselves to infection.

BY RAJAN NARAYAN

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when about two decades ago I tried to contested the CCP election. For a Saturday following the week when Ruth and Surendra Furtado are not likely to be able to retain their negotiating power. For a Saturday following the week when there was there were four deaths of Tuesday, March 16, 2021 which is the highest single day toll since February 16, 2021. For a Saturday following the week when though the number of institutions of higher learning are growing rapidly, there are no teachers available. For a Saturday following the week when shippies will heave the sigh of relief as the cruise industry plans to renew its voyages in May. For a Saturday following the week when the second death anniversary of Manohar Parrikar on March 17 is here.
AND a few stray thoughts on the only occasion when I filed my nomination from Ward II in the civic elections. At that time my Dona Paula ward included the La Marvel colony and Aivo village which is just below the road leading to the Raj Bhavan. Some friends of mine kept insisting that I should contest the CCP elections. “You keep bashing them. Why don’t you contest and prove what can be done to serve the people.” So with the same friends I went to the Office of the Deputy Collector in Panaji and filed my nomination. Since I had helped people staying the in village of Aivo like getting power supply and jobs, I thought I had a good chance. I also thought that all the bold and the beautiful and the rich and the powerful who lived at La Marvel Colony would vote for me!
Amongst the residents of prestigious La Marvel Colony is the legendry freedom fighter and writer Lambert Mascarenhas. Just opposite his house lived Dr Peter Ronald D’Souza who was Head of the Department of Political Science the at Goa University. His wife Ligia Noronha was recently appointed assistant secretary general of the United Nations Environment Department in New York. There were also several music teachers who prepared students for the Trinity music exams.
The late Sylvester D’Souza, father-in-law of Dr Oscar Rebello, and my former colleague Devika Sequeira, who both stayed in the La Marvel Colony came to my rented flat 40 plus steps up on the second floor of Aguiar Apartments at Dona Paula. Both of them were insistent that I should withdraw my nomination!
The residents of La Marvel Colony had identified a candidate whom they wanted to support for the elections to the ward in which we were all staying. Their logic was that a local candidate should contest the CCP election and not me. Apparently, even though at that time I had spent more than 20 years in Goa, I was still a bhaile in niz Goan eyes! I did not want to go against the sentiments of the local group who had come to my home to appeal to me to step down. So accompanied by Devika Sequiera and Sylvester, I went back to the Collectors Office and withdrew my nomination.
For those who are not familiar with the process of contesting elections, I must perhaps explain the procedure. A date is announced for filing of nominations. The returning officer examines all the documents submitted by the candidates and decides if they are eligible to contest. Besides there is also a date for withdrawal of nomination. Many candidates like me in various wards of the CCP and other municipalities are persuaded to withdraw. In many cases a large amount of money is offered to rival candidates to withdraw.
Unfortunately, I was too honest or dumb not to demand my price for withdrawing my nomination! I had, however, told Devika and Sylvester that I had a better chance of winning than their candidate! As it happened, Nelson Cabral, won perhaps because he was supported by Babush Atanasio Monseratte and the candidate put up by the La Marvel Colony lost by quite a large margin. I was going for a walk in the evening around the time the voting had come to an end in the government primary school in Dona Paula. Sylvester passed me in his car and grabbed my hand looking for the ink mark to see if I had voted. He was quite upset and angry that I had not bothered to vote for his candidate.
I must, however, admit that the late Sylvester was a very strong activist and perhaps committed suicide out of frustration. Unfortunately, those who think they can change the system do not understand that the main element in fighting elections is money, networking and also muscle power.
AND a few stray thoughts on how the Surendra-Ruth Furtado duo may not be able to play the numbers game this time. When Babush was not part of the BJP he used to put up a panel against the official panel of the BJP. Even when Manohar Parrikar was the Panaji MLA and Chief Minister, Babush always manage to capture the CCP. Indeed, the Corporation of the City of Panaji was formed by Manohar Parrikar. The idea was to expand the area of the Panaji Municipality to include Santa Cruz, Merces and even Porvorim. The advantage of converting Panaji into a corporation was that unlike municipal bodies, corporations could borrow money from banks and financial institutions.
Unfortunately the late chief minister’s dream did not come true as it was opposed by the MLAs of Santa Cruz and Merces and Cumberjua. On the contrary, after the formation of the CCP, the size of Panaji shrank. This is because Babush Monserrate who just got elected to the Legislative Assembly demanded that Taleigao be restored to the status of a Panchayat. Historically, Taleigao used to be part of the Panaji municipality. For some strange reasons including perhaps match fixing both the BJP and the Babush panels used to get 14 seats each in the 30-member CCP.
Ruth and Surendra Furtado used to win their seats as Independents. Who took control of the CCP depended on who Ruth and Surendra decided to support. They took turns supporting the Babush and BJP panels. With the addition of Ruth and Surendra Furtado whichever group they supported got 16 seats and with a majority could decide who would occupy the mayor’s polls. Irrespective of which group won, Surendra always became the mayor.
I must however point out that the best mayor that the CCP had was the BJP councillor Ashok Naik, who had formally worked for the giant engineering company L&T, which built the Atal Setu bridge. In the forthcoming civic elections on March 20 Ruth and Surendra are unlikely to be able to negotiate for the mayor’s post. This is because in this civic election there is only the BJP-Babush Monserrate panel, unlike in the past when there were two panels, namely the Babush and BJP panels, respectively.
It is not going to be smooth election for the BJP-Babush panel for which the candidates have been selected by Babush in a deal with Amit Shah. This is because Babush has not given seats to many veteran BJP candidates including the wife of Datta Prasad, who is BJP Mahila Wing president. Initially, there was a revolt by Utpal Parrikar and former Panaji MLA Siddharth Kunkoliekar, to the candidates selected by Babush. Indeed, Utpal Parrikar declared that he would support rebel BJP candidates who were denied tickets by Babush.
But the trio which control the BJP in Goa, comprising Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP party president, Sadanand Shet Tanavade, and BJP organising secretary, Satish Dhond, crushed the revolt by Utpal and Siddharth. They even forced Siddharth to pose for a photograph with Babush and declare that the BJP was united! Utpal also clarified that he was not a rebel but only supporting people in his individual capacity.
The reason why the top bosses of the BJP in Delhi and Goa do not want to antagonise Babush Monserrate is because of the assembly elections scheduled for later this year. Babush in the past managed to get four seats for the BJP in the assembly elections. Besides Taleigao which is his original constituency, Babush also managed to get his candidates elected in Santa Cruz, Cumberjua and St Andre besides Paiginim in Canacona.

CONTINUING COVID NIGHTMARE

AND a few stray thoughts on the continuing increase in Covid-19 cases, particularly in Panaji. Even more disturbing is the fact that four people died due because of the contagion on Tuesday, March 16. This is the highest ever single day casualty figure since February 16. The victims included a 58-year-old women from Sawantwadi, who was undergoing treatment in GMC. Other deaths from the GMC were that of two men, a 48-year-old from Bandora and a 50-year-old from Taleigao, a 65-year-old women from Colva also died on Tuesday. On Tuesday as many as 66 patients were home isolated.
Dean S Bandekar of the Goa Medical College has been insisting that the deaths are due to the delay in reporting the symptoms and getting tested at the Urban Health Centre or the GMC. This leads to the high number of deaths from covid-19 and patients are either brought dead to the hospital or they die within two or three days after admission to hospital.
The 26-year-old man from Mollem who died at GMC on Monday had reported only after he had reached a critical stage. Dr Bandekar is very upset that people are least bothered in observing covid-19 guidelines or getting themselves tested the moment they experience the by now well-known symptoms surely. But on the other hand patients are reluctant to go to the Urban Health Centre or the GMC.
There are even rumours running rife amongst the poorer migrant community that if that if you went to the GMC, some doctor would steal their organs! Besides, the delay in reporting cases and getting tested in the urban and rural health centre at GMC, there is also a general reluctance to be vaccinated.
Forget about senior citizens and those in the age group of 45 to 60 years with comorbidities. Even 50% of the frontline workers who are most exposed to covid-19 have not taken the vaccine. This is true not only of Goa but the entire country, the percentage of vaccination in the country as a whole is less than 3% as compared to 30% in the UK.
Though European countries have stopped the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of serious side effects, WHO and the IMA have both confirmed that they have not come across any serious side effects. Several senior citizens we know personally have taken the vaccine without any side effects. There are deliberate rumours being spread that painter Laxman Pai died as a side effect of the vaccination he had taken in the Manipal Hospital on March 3, 2021.
It is high time we closed our border with Maharashtra which is witnessing a very serious second wave of covid-19. Maharashtra is responsible for 56% of the active cases in the country. It accounts for the top ten districts with the highest number of covid-19 cases. But only 7% of the eligible people have been vaccinated in Maharashtra. All other states including Karnataka and Kerala have banned visitors from Maharashtra. Goa is the only state which welcomes than with open arms. Everyone from Mumbai wants to come to Goa because despite covid-19 the fun never stops in Goa.

MANOHAR PARRIKAR

AND a last stray thought on the second death anniversary of Manohar Parrikar, he passed away on March 17, 2019. Despite the expiry of two years the grand Samadhi or memorial for him at Miramar beach is far from ready for the public to pay their homage. Manoharbhai’s favourite MLA, whom he made the CM, Pramod Sawant, has shown no interest in speeding it up. It seems that within two years the late Manohar Parrikar, who commanded so much power and respect, has been virtually forgotten.
Manohar Parrikar had resisted the takeover of the Panaji assembly seat by Babush Monserrate. Parrikar even struck a deal with Babush to ensure the victory of Siddharth Kunkolienkar who vacated his seat for Parrikar to return to Goa upon his return from Delhi after his stint as defence minister of India. During the bye-election, after he became the chief minister in 2017, he had an agreement with Babush not to contest against him.
The Atal Setu bridge which the late Manohar Parrikar was passionate about is in a sorry state today. It may be recalled that despite his pancreatic cancer terminal stage, Manohar Parrikar inaugurated the Atal Setu bridge with a food pipe going through his nose clearly visible. His son Utpal has not been given any position in the party. Even his views on selection of candidates have not been considered. It is obvious that Manohar Parrikar, once considered number three as defence minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet no longer has any influence over the fate of Goa.
However, we are confident that the Manohar Parrikar we knew, would never have allowed the three environmentally-damaging projects to come to Goa, namely the double tracking, the transmission station in the heart of Mollem wildlife sanctuary. Unfortunately, Goa does not have any other BJP leader of the stature of Manohar Parrikar!
Delhi does not care about Goa as it has only two members of Parliament. Compare this to Karnataka which has more than 40 MLAs. This is why even the Mhadei headwaters diversion case has gone in the favour of Big Brother Karnataka.