દિવ્ય ભાસ્કરની કોલમ - તારીખ 24/12/2017ની પાકિસ્તાન ડાયરી

દિવ્ય ભાસ્કર અખબારમાં દર રવિવારે પાકિસ્તાન ડાયરી નામની કટાર આવેછે જેને ઝાયીદા હીના નામની લેખિકા લખે છે.

તારીખ 24/12/2017ની કટારમાં ક્વેટામાં ચર્ચમાં જે બૉમ્બ બ્લાસ્ટ થયો હતો એના વિશે લખાણ હતું, જેમાં એક વાક્ય લખ્યું હતું જે ખુબજ તકલીફ દાયક હતું એ વાક્ય છે "આ લોકો ખુબજ શાંતિથી અમારા દેશમાં રહે છે." આ વાક્ય ખ્રિસ્તી લોકો માટે લખ્યું છે.

ખ્રિસ્તી, શીખ, હિન્દૂ, પારસી કે અન્ય કોમો પાકિસ્તાન આઝાદ થયું એ પહેલાથી ત્યાંના નાગરિકો છે અને ત્યાંના મૂળ રહેવાસી છે.

આ બતાવે છે કે પાકિસ્તાનમાં બહુમતી ત્યાંની  લઘુમતીને પાકિસ્તાનમાં બહારથી આવેલા વણનોતર્યા મહેમાનજ માને છે. આજની તારીખમાં પણ આ લોકો ભલે પાકિસ્તાનને પોતાનો દેશ માનતા હોય પણ ત્યાંના લોકો લઘુમતીને પાકિસ્તાનના નથી માનતા

57th Liberation Day of Goa, Daman & Diu

Today is 57^th Liberation Day of Goa, Daman & Diu and best wishes for the day.

Today is time to retrospect about what Daman & Diu has achieved in these last 56 years.

Talking about time when Daman & Diu were with Portugal or Goa thereafter. There was Swachchh Daman & Diu. It was sparkling clean. There was no corruption, it was easy to carry out work by common men. Roads were among the best in India, there was ease of doing business, ease of meeting bureaucrats, there was one Collector for handling Daman & Diu, etc.

Situation after 30 years of delinking from Goa.

1)      Cleanliness:  There is no Swachchh Daman & Diu, only Swachchh Bharat.

2)     Road:              Roads are among the worst in India.

3)     Water:            Administration is unable to provide taped drinking water even after spending more than 100 crores, one scheme is launched after completion of each schemes, present scheme was launched in year 2011 and was to be completed in two years with budget of 45 crores but in year 2017 it is still incomplete and who knows how many crores already spent.

4)     Sewage:          There are no sewage lines or treatment plants. We still have to build septic tanks.

5)     Bureaucracy:  There are host of high ranking officers like IAS, IPS, IFS, DANICS, DANIPS, etc. These officers eats up maximum of funds allotted for development of Daman & Diu as salary and upkeepment.

6)     Red Tapism:  Even after getting fat cheques as salary these high ranking officers are not ready to take any decision in favour of common men to give relief from hardships and corruption. If you meet any officer with problem that need to solve they will direct you to officer higher in rank and that officer will enlighten you with knowledge that it will benefit more toapproch Court to solve your problem.

7)     Democracy:   There is no democracy in Daman & Diu but autocracy. One cannot speak against oppressing and undemocratic policies of administration.

We have to think about what we have got in last 57 years except corruption, maladministration, red tapism, bad roads, no tap water in whole territories, no sewage lines and treatment plants, no tourist friendly policies, etc.

Happy Liberation Day. Best wishes….

Demand of penal action for the Chief Officer of Daman Municipal Council

On dated 05/12/2017, the Daman Municipal Council (DMC) had called public meeting for yellow and red stripes painted on houses and commercial establishments, etc. where representatives of all communities were called and I had an opportunity to be part of it.

During meeting, the Chief Officer Shri Vaibhav Rikhari admitted that he never consulted nor Council directed him to mark private properties with different coloured stripes for different notations, which are usually used for demolition of properties.

On inquiring on whose instructions he dared to by-pass the powers of DMC, he could not answer but it is obvious, on whose behalf he is acting.

Hence, it is imperative that the Council issue notice to Shri Vaibhav Rikhari, the Chief Officer, for acting without authority of the Council and should take penal action on him for acting on behalf of some individual who is not part of DMC and therefore this proves that he had done treacherous act against his responsibilities / duties as the Chief Officer of the Council.

The simple but effective corruption method adopted by the PWD of Daman & Diu @admrdddnh - Repeat

The Tender Notice published by the Public Works Department of Daman & Diu has stopped giving details of the work. It gives all peripheral details but not the name of the work for which tender is published.

It gives the name of the website i.e. https://daman.nprocure.com on which said tender is published, number and date of the tender notice, etc. but not the name of the work.

Similar style was adopted last year also and which was also blogged on 23/03/2016 and after said blog, this practice was stopped.

Last time there was an excuse of the then Development Commissioner Shri Sandeep Kumar, whose  has instructed them to not to publish the name of work to save cost. If the name of work is published the cost of publishing tender increases and to save the cost, same is not published. This year, I wonder who is the scapegoat?

In Daman & Diu and every where else, other Government department publishes the tender notice with the name of work.

It is deliberate attempt with mala fide intentions to keep people of Daman & Diu in dark of the works being executed so that they have free hand to carry out corruption, if people don’t know which work is being carried out, they won’t ask for any details regarding that work and department officers can carry out corruption without any difficulty.

Here is an offer and I repeat once again; If PWD wants to save cost (but why? They can reduce their corruption) in publishing, let them do it but publish the name of work, extra money, if any will be reimbursed by me to the PWD for publishing the name of work.

Why Administration of Daman & Diu is not learning from other states affected by Judgement of the Supreme Court regarding sale of liquor

Judgement of the Supreme Court pronouncing restrictions on sale of liquor on National Highways. This has affected tourism, business, employment, economy, revenue, etc. overall but more particularly in UT of Daman & Diu, whose economy is mainly based on tourism.

States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Chandigarh, etc. have taken route of de-notifying National Highways and turning them into District Roads thereby making Judgement of Supreme Court not applicable on those roads.

Whereas idea implemented by Punjab is even more brilliant. They have not de-notified National Highways but enacted a law that will make Judgment of the Supreme Court ineffective by permitting bars and pubs on National Highways.

National Highway was notified some year ago turning Major District Roads into National Highways and I still remember that one politician had objected to publishing such notification for UT of Daman & Diu. Combined National Highways in UT of Daman & Diu may not be more than 12 KMS but there are 168 liquor bars and shops line up near converted Major District Roads. This gives revenue to the administration intune of crores of rupees and economy of these territories in good health by employment, tourism, etc.

It is not fathomable that why Administration of Daman & Diu is not trying tried and tested ways adopted by other states who have successfully implemented de-notifying of National Highways and turn them back into Major District Roads which they were earlier and reactivate cancelled licenses.

BEWARE – Corporatisation of Electricity Department may be happening silently

From last many years Electricity Department was trying to increase tariff for domestic users but it could consoles itself by increasing tariff for industrial users only.

There was a movement of corporatisation of Electricity Department and many social leaders submitted memorandums to the administration opposing the said move of corporatisation.

Political leadership and political parties have become so much away from public that they have lost their voice and conscience, otherwise what justifies their stand on such vital issue of people’s concerns. Not a single politicians or political parties have written a letter to the administration voicing their opposition to corporatisation in the interest of people. They might be thinking that money will buy those votes and they will again come to power.

Only one person was brave enough to spearhead people’s movement against corporatisation of Electricity Department single handed but he was arrested and jailed for 15 days without any charges to break his morale by the dictatorial administration.

Suddenly, some days ago an advertisement announcing reduction in tariff were published in many newspapers. This move is surprising, unexpected and unlikely of Administration of Daman & Diu.

There is very much likely that they have given anaesthetics with sugar coated pill. In this state of anaesthesia one fine day administration may announce the implementation of corporatisation of Electricity Department.

BEWARE – Daman & Diu – BEWARE – you may be taken for ride.

Merging of UT of Daman & Diu with State of Goa is the only option available for its survival

I had an opportunity to deliberate regarding prevailing situation of Daman & Diu on various occasions in last few months.

On one hand, situation in Daman & Diu is deteriorating day by day. Whole administration has become more corrupt, insensitive to the aspirations of people; decisions are taken without taking political leadership into confidence.

Works are not completed in timely manner; work started in 2012 for water supply Scheme for Daman district for approximately 50 crore rupees is not completed even today and cost is overrun many times. Roads, tourist spots are not maintained in proper condition.

Almost half of budget allocated for development of Daman & Diu is used on maintenance and paying salaries of bureaucrats (IAS, IPS, IFS, DANICS, DANIPS).

On the other hand, within same 30 years Goa has marched ahead in development in every sphere. In tourism, Goa is an internationally recognised name.

The best part of merging with Goa is that Goa, Daman & Diu have common history; We are together from last 500 years since Portuguese rule except last 30 years after delinking. We were liberated on same day, we have common laws even today like Portuguese Civil Law, Land Revenue Code, buildings laws, recruitment rules, municipality laws, etc.

By merging with Goa; Daman & Diu will have benefit of State Legislative Assembly, will get rid of constant fear of merging with Gujarat, insensitive central bureaucracy and will get benefit of expertise of Goa in the development of tourism, benefit of responsive Government and much more.