MOPA AIRPORT COMES ALIVE!
GO FIRST COMES TO MANOHAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…It was January 05, 2023 and it was business pouring in at the new airport up north in Pernem taluka in Goa. One of the first airlines to land here was Go First (formerly known as GoAir) in its continuous pursuit of network expansion. Go First commenced operations with an Airbus A320neo, in its maiden flight G8 2123 which departed at 10:35 (that is at 10.35am) and destined to arrive at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at 11:55 (11.55 pm). Flight operations also continue from Dabolim airport but the new flight from Mopa Airport will further enhance its domestic connectivity with tier II cities. The flight out was inaugurated by Union Tourism & Ports Minister Yesso Naik, Union Minister for Tourism & Ports, Shipping & Waterways Rohan Khaunte, in the presence of R V Sheshan (CEO- GMR); and other GMR representatives, namely Kanwarbir Singh Kalra (Dy CEO-GMR); Arunachalam SV; Srikanth Bhandarkar; Kamlesh Pooniya; Binu Gopal; Kiran Kumar; Rakesh Kumar, Ambhagole Mahesh Kumar; Mukesh Kumar Gupta. Speaking at the inaugural Kaushik Khona (Chief Executive Officer, Go First) said, “It gives us immense pleasure to commence operations from this latest addition, Mopa to our domestic network. Although Goa is a preferred leisure destination, this network will facilitate convenient and seamless travel for locals along with tourists.”
POWERFUL `GHOST’ IN CM’S OFFICE?!
THE Goa government ought to make public the complete details of the person who is managing and virtually running Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s office since July, 2020? Who is this mysterious Dr (Ms) Pratibha from Maharashtra? A very low profile hand- picked RSS nominee, a social scientist with PhD from RSS supported government-funded Deendayal Research Centre at Mumbai, she has been on deputation to Goa by RSS Headquarters in Nagpur from July 2020. How she came to Goa in the midst of the pandemic is something only Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Goa BJP Chief Sadanand Tanawade know.
Dr Ms Pratibha, who is not sworn to any oath of secrecy, is the most powerful person in the Chief Minister’s Office, having access to all top secret official files, documents, cabinet papers and she clears them while even summoning and presiding over the meetings of IAS officers while also attending State government’s budget meetings. Many IAS officers are reportedly demoralized due to her regular uncalled for interference. The controversial “Bhumiputra” legislation was apparently on Ms Pratibha’s orders.
She has emerged as a very powerful extra constitutional authority in Goa with a hotline access to the RSS bosses in Nagpur while the Goa Ministers, Officials and the public have no clue about the terms and conditions of her appointment or her duties.
It has been alleged that she has been meddling in routine administration and eliminating persons not sympathetic or subscribing to the RSS ideology. Surely the people of Goa are entitled to know the complete details and the role of such an extra-constitutional authority in Goa’s governance which is under a veil of top secrecy? After all, the government is undoubtedly footing the bill for her salary and expenses.
— Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar
MHADEI ISSUE IN GOA
THE BJP unit led by State President Sadanand Shet Tanawade has now decided to start a signature campaign across the state with the sole intention of temporarily calming Goans’ ire on the Mhadei issue. It may be noted here that it is their own BJP leaders at the Centre who are keeping an eye on the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls (including the fast approaching 2024 Lok Sabha elections which sends 24 MPs from Karnataka to Parliament, compared to Goa’s 2 MPs).
It is the BJP at the Centre which has approved Karnataka’s revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) to divert Mhadei water for the Kalasa-Bhandura project, ignoring Goa’s interests. This has been a long-pending festering issue. Unfortunately, our Goan BJP leaders instead of apologising to Goans for the dirty games being played over something as important as the diversion of the Mhadei headwaters, are still offering false assurances and making stupid announcements nobody trusts anymore.
If our BJP leaders are really innocent (as they claim to be) and serious about the matter enough to demand the Centre immediately withdraw the said DPR granted to Karnataka, then they would not hesitate to change the political equations and bring down a failed government (witness the latest betrayal by the Centre) immediately! Is it possible to make this government resign on both moral and legal grounds on the Mhadei issue? Enough time has already been wasted by lazy or scaredy cat politicians!
–Jerry Fernandes, Saligao