Mid-Day.com
Goa:
Murders, sinister stories of a foreign land mafia, local cops getting busted for peddling drugs, rape of children... Goa was a fit case for the caption, 'Paradise Lost'.
But good news has started trickling in with the Rs 200 crore central package and steps to strengthen tourist safety.
The man who could change that unfortunate caption to 'Paradise Regained' is 56-year-old Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. Here's what we had to say;
Q: For the first time Goa has got Rs 200 crore from the Centre. Do you have a clear, specific plan on how to spend it?
A: We had requested the Centre to give us a golden jubilee package. We thought the Centre should give a signal to the people of Goa that it thinks about Goa. Goans feel the Centre neglects the state because it is small, literacy is high and we are seen as more developed than other states. We had asked for Rs 1,400 crore. Finance minister has given us Rs 200 crore for the beach cleanliness, beach safety, green cover etc. We will put up a committee to see that the money is spent judiciously.
Q: But committees go into red tape.
A: It will not be a committee of bureaucrats. It will be a committee of prominent people.
Q: Will the money be spent in making Goa safer?
A: During the recent meeting of chief ministers on internal security, I had made a strong demand from Chidambaram for Rs 5 crore for a centralised control room in Panjim and 60 PCR vans, so that police presence is felt across the state. For instance, in Delhi, you see PCR vans everywhere, you feel confident. We want to build that kind of confidence among tourists who come to Goa. That fund was immediately sanctioned.
Q: One problem for tourists in Goa is that if you get into trouble, you don't know which number to call.
A: We have set up helplines. There is a separate helpline for women and children.
Q: Do people know about it?
A: We have brought out booklets in different languages including Russian and Portugese.
Q: Goa is a place for young tourists. Can the Goa government be young in its approach, get information up on Internet, on platforms like Facebook and Twitter?
A: Certainly. We have to do that.
Q: What is happening to pending cases... Stephen Bennett, Scarlet
Keeling?
A: In all the cases they have filed chargesheets. In one case in which a minor Russian girl was involved, we have asked for day-to-day hearing at the children's court. There should be a verdict in 30 days.
Q: Is your state serious about tourist safety?
A: We are studying the bill in the Rajasthan Assembly which says any case related to tourists will be finalised 40 days. I have spoken to the chief justice of the Bombay High Court in this regard. Foreigners want to go back. If the case is settled fast, tourists will feel the government is serious. I have spoken to the Russian ambassador, and he was very satisfied with the steps.
Q: What are you doing about the cleaning of the beaches? The stretch between Calangute and Baga is especially repulsive.
A: Last Budget I sanctioned Rs 1 crore just for cleaning beaches. Latest machines have come which screen the sand.
Q: When will they be put into action?
A: It should start from May. I'll use central funds in this. An enormous beach safety programme has started. Danger spots have been marked out, lifeguards have been hired.
Q: How long have you been the CM of Goa?
A: I have completed 1,000 days.
Q: Are you the longest serving CM then?
A: No, the first CM served from 1963 to the '70s.
Q: Why the instability?
A: I don't know. Some say it is because of the smallness of the
Assembly. It's easy to topple it. If you have a support base of
14,000-15,000, you are the king. You don't need a party.
Q: Which is your favourite beach in Goa?
A: Colva. That's close to our Madgaon home. The sand is white. In
Calangute or other beaches, the sand is dirty.
But good news has started trickling in with the Rs 200 crore central package and steps to strengthen tourist safety.
The man who could change that unfortunate caption to 'Paradise Regained' is 56-year-old Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. Here's what we had to say;
Q: For the first time Goa has got Rs 200 crore from the Centre. Do you have a clear, specific plan on how to spend it?
A: We had requested the Centre to give us a golden jubilee package. We thought the Centre should give a signal to the people of Goa that it thinks about Goa. Goans feel the Centre neglects the state because it is small, literacy is high and we are seen as more developed than other states. We had asked for Rs 1,400 crore. Finance minister has given us Rs 200 crore for the beach cleanliness, beach safety, green cover etc. We will put up a committee to see that the money is spent judiciously.
Q: But committees go into red tape.
A: It will not be a committee of bureaucrats. It will be a committee of prominent people.
Q: Will the money be spent in making Goa safer?
A: During the recent meeting of chief ministers on internal security, I had made a strong demand from Chidambaram for Rs 5 crore for a centralised control room in Panjim and 60 PCR vans, so that police presence is felt across the state. For instance, in Delhi, you see PCR vans everywhere, you feel confident. We want to build that kind of confidence among tourists who come to Goa. That fund was immediately sanctioned.
Q: One problem for tourists in Goa is that if you get into trouble, you don't know which number to call.
A: We have set up helplines. There is a separate helpline for women and children.
Q: Do people know about it?
A: We have brought out booklets in different languages including Russian and Portugese.
Q: Goa is a place for young tourists. Can the Goa government be young in its approach, get information up on Internet, on platforms like Facebook and Twitter?
A: Certainly. We have to do that.
Q: What is happening to pending cases... Stephen Bennett, Scarlet
Keeling?
A: In all the cases they have filed chargesheets. In one case in which a minor Russian girl was involved, we have asked for day-to-day hearing at the children's court. There should be a verdict in 30 days.
Q: Is your state serious about tourist safety?
A: We are studying the bill in the Rajasthan Assembly which says any case related to tourists will be finalised 40 days. I have spoken to the chief justice of the Bombay High Court in this regard. Foreigners want to go back. If the case is settled fast, tourists will feel the government is serious. I have spoken to the Russian ambassador, and he was very satisfied with the steps.
Q: What are you doing about the cleaning of the beaches? The stretch between Calangute and Baga is especially repulsive.
A: Last Budget I sanctioned Rs 1 crore just for cleaning beaches. Latest machines have come which screen the sand.
Q: When will they be put into action?
A: It should start from May. I'll use central funds in this. An enormous beach safety programme has started. Danger spots have been marked out, lifeguards have been hired.
Q: How long have you been the CM of Goa?
A: I have completed 1,000 days.
Q: Are you the longest serving CM then?
A: No, the first CM served from 1963 to the '70s.
Q: Why the instability?
A: I don't know. Some say it is because of the smallness of the
Assembly. It's easy to topple it. If you have a support base of
14,000-15,000, you are the king. You don't need a party.
Q: Which is your favourite beach in Goa?
A: Colva. That's close to our Madgaon home. The sand is white. In
Calangute or other beaches, the sand is dirty.
