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Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ At a mammoth convention of Congress workers,called by South Goa MP and ex CM of Goa Mr Churchill Alemao this evening at the Adarsh Hall Margao; speaker after speaker deliberated and dared the Congress Party in Goa, the Congress Government, and the High Command, to take immediate cognizance of the disarray and disillusionment within the party workers before the Party is wiped out from 16 seats to 10 or none at the next hustings ---this was resolved in a strongly worded seven point resolution passed unanimously with repeated thunderous applause at the convention. In his opening address Mr Ghanashyam Shirodkar ex Chairperson of Margao Municipal Council was utterly disgusted with the INC elected representatives. "They use us (Congress workers) for campaigning etc but once elected we are given the boot" he was pointing indirectly at the Margao MLA and Minister for Power Mr Digamber Kamat (who has earned the sobriquet "Father of Migrant labour" in Goa for his proposal to the government to grant 23,000 sq mts land on Monte Margao to the migrant workers). " Take the case of the Fatorda Constituency he added even though there is a BJP MLA six posts have gone to Congress workers" he was of the view that party workers should be given plum postings in various Corporations or semi government bodies to keep the party machinery "well oiled" throughout and not only during election time. He further reiterated the demand that the Congress if contested forty seats can win thirty if new faces are inducted. He warned the party that last hustings the count was sixteen and this will be reduced to ten. "No MLA, Minister, should be asked to head Corporations in future. He alleged that interviews were a mockery bribes were paid amounting to lacs of rupees for clerical and police posts. The written and oral interviews are a mockery it is the "dalal" money dealings which decides the selection. Why not hold a common entrance test and give the meritorious their dues? He demanded of the MP to move to all talukas ascertain the problems and views of party men. Ms Farrel Furtado ex MLA Velim said there was nothing wrong in this convention "we are merely voicing our genuine grievances" workers are used for elections. "why sack Churchill? isnt he the voice of the people" he quizzed, "be it MOPA airport, the Monte allotment of Communidade land to non goans Churchill has always raised these issues. As the crowd kept spilling in the hall which was packed to capacity and a separate screen outside was erected for better viewing. There were all party workers Zilla Parishad members panchas etc but not a single elected representative of the INC. Mr Bishut Teimudo of Navelim was glad that this was the first meeting of the INC to identify the decline of the Congress. INC is at the Centre and in Goa but there is no committment to retain or scrap MOPA, the six lane road will make Goa a corridor and intended to fulfill the requirement of MOPA. Why should temples chapels houses be reduced to rubble for this six lane highway? Why has the Navy not produced the documents of possession till date if they own the Dabolim air strip as is their contention? Even on the issue ofOfficial recognition to Konkani in Romaan script the INC brought Marathi just to defeat the Romi lipi demand. Now the Mhadei river which is the source of the Mandovi river in Goa is being diverted. Yesterday was the inuaguration at Karnataka of the works to divert the same but the INC government in Goa and at the Centre are asleep even the Supreme Court has not heard the demand for stay on the diversion yet. Mr Teimudo added the people give a "power of attorney to the elected representatives for five years" if they do not address the needs of the people what purpose is served he questioned. It was Mr Alemao who threw the BJP Government but what is the use --- INC representatives no people have no option but to vote INC and therefore they care to hoots for the people. Mr Valerio Fernandes President of the Goa Tourist Taxi Owners made an impassioned plea to save the livelihood of over two thousand members in the trade and their families who together numbered ten thousand. " We have the damocles sword hanging on us if Mopa becomes a reality to add to it the tour operators (mainly outsiders) have eaten into our business" who ever arrives at an amicable solution will take our blessings in the form of votes he added. Surprisingly seven Ministers and yet no decision can be arrived at. Why harass Mr Alemao are the Ministers only there to make roads drainage lighting taps are these not the perogative of Panchayats and Municipal bodies he asked? Mr P V Kudchadkar(Adv) demanded that the Government should look into financial assistance to those participating in the literacy camps where legal practitioners visit villages etc to advise public on tenancy mundacar acts. He said that no script should be imposed on the people let the people decide he was fully in support of Romi lipi being granted official recognition. Sanskrit is the language of "Bhatjis" Se Bird is ideal for the Navy it was billed as "Gods gift" when it was first sighted. The distance from Goa to Karwar is 70 kms by road and flying distance just 55 kms..shifting the Navy is ideal and let Dabolim serve the touristic state. There are directives to dispose of accident cases within six months and pay compensation to the families of the accident victims but the INC has not propogated or facilitated this scheme, even toddy tappers do not get compensatio. It is shocking that the party which had stalwarts like Motilal Nehru, Kamraj has been destroyed. No person should be elected for more than three terms he added. Mr Wilson Mazarelo President of the Dalgado Konkani Academy demanded recognition to Romi Lipi now and not after the elections. Salcete MLA' extended support to Romi behind closed doors but dare not to do so in public. He was ready for peoples agitation on this count before the next elections. Mr Philip Dourado ex Sarpanch of Nuvem and Congress Block President castigated the INC in Goa. When at Poinguinim the INC MLA's noted that BJP workers were distributing money to voters they asked Mr Alemao to get to them and nab them now they are demanding that he be sacked? There were directions given to party men not to attend todays workers convention but most have defied the ban as these are genuine demands of the workers. Dr Wilfred Mesquita ex Revenue Minister who claimed to be an expert in the Land Acquisition Act and the Land Revenue Code made it clear that the Government was only fooling the people of alloting land when the laws do not permit such grants. He referred to Ms Sonia Gandhis call to people of UP to begin a revolution to unseat the Mulayam Singh Government for corruption and criminalisation but what about Goa he wondered? The Regional Plan and ODP were intended to sell Goa on a platter. Why have the NGO's not awoken to this grim reality he wondered? Ms Tara Kerkar ex Councilor of Baina spat venom against Mr Karl Vaz for indulging in overthrowing the Mr S Chopdekar. What use are party workers if they cant get jobs of the electorate done. She praised Mr Francisco Sardinha who was always helpful irrespective of the constituency from which one came. She gave examples of how 15 years domicile certificates were issued by Mamlatdar for getting jobs to non goans in MPT and elsewhere, She spoke of her efforts to invoke section 133 to stop coal pollution in Mormugao and her latest was a petition to remove rumbler strips on the NH which were a sore to commuters. Mr Bruno Lourenco stated rather sarcastically that if Churchill Alemaos intentions are clear and sincere people will not hesitate to support him. Mr Ulhas Buyao demanded official recognition to Romi lipi and denounced "Shenoi Goembab" as a fake he called Mr Bhembre as a non secularists and wondered how he was in the Congress camp. He was shocked that writings of RSS chief in Goa Mr Subhash Velingkar ----like St Francis Xavier a Saint or a Saitan were published on Sunaparant a konkani devanagari daily ----who claim to be against divisive forces dividing the Goans. He said the "Yuva Mahotsav" at Pilar by the pro Devnagari forces was only to suck funds in the name of Konkani. He decried the efforts of Mr Prashant Naik who got not more than 54 people including 12 press persons four of Romi lipi supporters (sent as spies) and two girls from the telephone department to attend the Konkani Ekvott meet at Lohia Maidan which was a failure and intended to castigate him for his utterances against Shenoi Goembab. Mr Mike Mehta Adv prepared status report on the Congress Party in Goa after getting a team of lawyers to interact with the common man. Quality of education was dismal at the graduation and LL.B Goa University certificates were not recognised. What use are bicycles to students if they do not have quality education? Goenkar Ghattak vikle he said warning of the fate of Goans with large scale migration. Mr Alemao made it clear that NO ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE should be given a ticket beyond three terms. He said that the workers convention was to highlight the sorry state of party affairs. Margaret Alva could not have issued him any warnings as she was away in Australia. He said that MLA's in Goa should realise that it was because of Dr Jack de Sequeira 40 MLAs could get to contest elections had we merged there would have been just one seat. He stated that following his election in 1989 he ensured that the portrait of Dr Sequeira was placed in the Secretariat and now demanded that a statue at Panaji. Roman script recognition is a must. Manipuri has five scripts and people are free to chose. In 1989 when he mooted the idea of a tourism industry Mr Khalap then in MGP laughed at him today the people of Pernem are the sufferers. Tourism brings Rs 2000 crores to the treasury The PDS system is must to help Velips Bhahujans to get cheap food items within Rs100/- the Below Poverty Line BPL scheme does not work in Goa because its criteria of no light no radio no cycle does not fit in Goa. The Rane Government was told that it would cost 11 crores to implement the scheme yet it preferred IFFI to the PDS. If Mopa is not scrapped the Congresss will be defeated. He said small place like Dubai had 62 aero bridge terminals catering to 25 lac tourists even though Dubai is less than the size of North Goa District. With 1400 hectares of land at Dabolim this was enough for an international airport as presently the base is used as training base and they could shift to Karwar. Mr Alemao was apprehensive that the migrants could also contain terrorist. He chided the tour operators mainly one Mr Aloo who he said was now a kingpin of the tour opertors earlier used to hold a card calling tourists at the airport. The issue of tour operators and taxi owners can be resolved. Hospicio was in shambles and health care at its lowest ebb. Even the government could not find a place for garbage. Ms Farel read out seven point resolution a) Mopa should be scrapped forthwith b) six lane corridor scrapped c) official recognition to Roman script d) Public Distribution System re-introduced e) Tourist taxis interests to be safeguarded no permits to mini-bus as stage carriages f) communidades "gaunkaries" to be protected g) diversification of Mhadei river (Mandovi in Goa) to be stopped. Those on the dais included also included Menino de Bandar, President of Shack Owners Association and several other panch and sarpanches. Sidelights + eye brows were raised when Adv. P Kudchadkar ended his speech with Vande Mataram + Mr Alemao clarified that it was not himself who was instrumental in the defeat of Bruno Lourenco + Mr Alemao joked how Luisinho Faleiro could claim success of the Sarv Shikshan Abhiyan when primary schools in the State were built by Portuguese and Bandodkar + Most of the speakers were aspirants to the forth coming elections + Most people felt that today Mr Churchill Alemao is truly the icon of niz goencars and they would like to rally around him within or outside the INC if his efforts were towards causes dear to Goa and Goans. + the audio visual and print media covered the three hour proceedings + cold (warm) drinks were served to all. + there were a sizeable number of non Goans present but oblivious of what was uttered against them. + Mr Aires Rodrigues convenor Save Goa Front was present for the meet from the Adarsh Hall Pajifond GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES, BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. 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