AERIAL VIEW
First, Rane suspended all the ODPs of Calangute-Candolim, Para-Arpora-Nagoa etc. then, he directed the NGPDA to file an FIR for a land-filling in Parra. Strange, isn’t it?
There is no attempt to justify the land-filling by the Lobos but does the action by Rane not smack of desperation by the minister to please his bosses in Delhi and also show one-upmanship over Cheif Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.
Almost everybody knew that if the BJP came back to power, the primary target would be Michael Lobo, who had become a thorn in the flesh for the BJP. Lobo left BJP and joined Congress despite requests from BJP top leaders. Also, he won four of the six seats in Bardez for Congress, and the BJP now sees him as a serious threat ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
Editor, Goemkarponn
Days after refusing to allow the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as the Tiger Reserve, the new Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane has suddenly decided to crack down on all illegalities across the State.
Last week, he directed the PDA and TCP to raid several places and scrap the ODPs.
As rightly said by GPCC president Amit Patkar, his action seems to be confusing and “hasty” and seems to be motivated to target some selected politicians or maybe the rival politicians.
His primary target seems to be Bardez King Michael Lobo and his wife, Delilah Lobo.
First, Rane suspended all the ODPs of Calangute-Candolim, Para-Arpora-Nagoa etc. then, he directed the NGPDA to file an FIR for a land-filling in Parra. Strange, isn’t it?
There is no attempt to justify the land-filling by the Lobos but does the action by Rane not smack of desperation by the minister to please his bosses in Delhi and also show one-upmanship over Cheif Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.
Almost everybody knew that if the BJP came back to power, the primary target would be Michael Lobo, who had become a thorn in the flesh for the BJP. Lobo left BJP and joined Congress despite requests from BJP top leaders. Also, he won four of the six seats in Bardez for Congress, and the BJP now sees him as a serious threat ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
Maybe this is the major reason why he is being targeted, and Vishwajit Rane is being used by a few to get this work done to cut Michael Lobo to size.
Though Rane has denied this is a political witch-hunt, why target Lobo singularly? Another politician in South Goa has built a huge farmhouse in the scenic village cutting the hill on a slope. Why no action, in that case, Mr Rane?
The politicians have many such cases of illegalities, but targetting Lobo shows how desperate the BJP has become to win the North Goa seat.
Another issue rightly pointed out by Lobo is why does Mr Vishwajit Rane have to call the businessman a “land mafia”? You penalise them for illegalities, if any and initiate, but as a minister, you have no right to call anyone land mafia Mr Rane?
If that is so, can we call JOB MAFIA to divert all vacancies in Goa Medical College, Dental College and Health Department to Sattari? More than 60 p.c of these employees in the health department are from the taluka. Why not action be initiated against you, Mr Rane?
But sadly, the Chief Minister, Dr Pramod Sawant, does not have a spine or simply does not want to interfere in whatever wrong has been happening around him. Or maybe he has got the orders from the top not to interfere.
Thirdly, Rane, in his tweet, says that Congress was corrupt. Well, Mr Rane, what is happening today in the BJP government? Is it not corruption? Your own ministers and MLAs have accused the government of selling jobs. Is that not corruption? For decades you and your father were part of Congress. But sadly, you realised only today that Congress was corrupt?
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