Dear Constantino,
As an ex-hostess of TAIP I can assure you that the goan percentage of staff
working at Dabolim was quite large. To start with, all the Hostesses
(including 2 Stewards in the last year of TAIP's existence) were goan. The
only exception was D.Maria de Lourdes, a dedicated and competent Portuguese
lady of noble origins, who was in charge of the girls. A considerable amount
of personnel at Maintenance etc. were also goan. Eight of us ex-hostesses
have worked, retired and still live in Portugal, 2 live in Goa, 2 expired
during our time upto 1961. The 2 stewards split company, one went to Brazil
the other stayed in Goa. All the pilots were from Portugal. The cooperation
between them and us was excellent indeed. For what it is worth I can truly
say that we were proud to be Goans working for TAIP. Hope I did not miss
out on anyone, and if I did, please accept my apologies.
Should anyone wish for more clarifications please feel free to call on me.
Cheers.
Patsy Almeida Cardoso
- Original Message -
From: "Constantino Xavier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 3:43 PM
Subject: [Goanet] Disappeared on oherald.com?
Dear Bernardo,
is this the article which you say "disappeared" on Herald website?
Can anyone confirm if this one, and the one on civil land encroachments by
the Navy in Vasco, have been published in the print edition?
Regarding the statement in the article:
"locals employed at TAIP (the erstwhile Portuguese airliner)"
It should be said that this is a political interpretation. Sure, TAIP
where an initiative of the Portuguese colonial regime, but this tag
"erstwhile Portuguese airliner" is also not correct:
1. TAIP means Transportes Aereos da India Portuguesa (Air Transports of
Portuguese India) and has thus a local meaning, being an airliner
specifically for Goans (and people from Daman and Diu).
2. Though established by Portuguese military officials, to a great extent
TAIP was the product of the hard work of many Goans, from the construction
sector up to the managment and technical sectors. Anyone has details on
this "goan" percentage? 150 "locals employed" is not a small number.
It could once again prove to many ou there that these colonial-time
institutions had a very strong local (native, Goan) component, more than
in other colonies. And that the period of the late 50's was witnessing an
important trend of progressive empowerment of Goa, Goans and their
autonomy. This is the impression I also get by many Goans who told me this
in Goa itself.
Constantino
--
Fear of pro-Portuguese tag muffled voices against Navy
With the liberation of Goa,Dabolim was occupied by Navy, and all
equipments like VHF radars were "misappropriated" and even the inventory
of stock which was carried out in February 1962 was seen as an effort to
throw dust into the eyes of the public, since locals employed at TAIP (the
erstwhile Portuguese airliner) were not taken into confidence.
Naval authorities instead thought it fit to oust 150-odd Goans employed
at the airport to prevent exposure of the reported misappropriation of
equipments, as spoils of war. It is upon a hue and cry that some of the
dismissed or retrenched staff were accommodated elsewhere other than in
the actual position at airport.
The dismissal/ retrenchment is detailed in the Judgement reported in AIR
1969 Goa 76, upon writ petition filed by an aggrieved employee of TAIP.
The misappropriation of land and properties began by misusing the
temporary legislation - the Defense of India Act, 1962, after sensing the
attitude and apprehensions of the locals: any move by defense authorities
were not resisted by locals, fearing that they may be accused of being
pro-Portuguese or anti-national.
The Defense of India Act, 1962 was enacted due to the Chinese Aggression,
in order to provide precaution of any further aggression, and thereby take
measures by providing Civil Defense to the citizens at the instance of the
Union of India and or by the states when such exigencies prevail.
The Defense of India Act, 1962 expired on 10 January 1968. But, six
months later, the Naval authorities caused the requisition of about 5 lakh
sq m of land around the then existing Dabolim airport in terms of Section
29 of the said Act and the proceedings were manipulated by initiating the
Government of Goa, Daman and Diu to hand over the possession of land to
Naval authorities along with the structures thereon.
The Naval authorities ought to have released the land to the owners on
revocation of 1962 Act, but instead the Navy made the State government
issue notice under Section 36 of the said Act to acquire the requisitioned
land, inspite of the fact that the land was not put to any use or any
destruction of land or properties took place during aggression.
Herald, 28 September 2005
