Show Cause Notice issued to the Public Information Officer of DMC, Daman

RTI was made before the Public Information Officer of Daman Municipal Council, Daman to get information regarding Commercial License. The PIO did not bother to provide information nor did Appellate Authority heard the 1^st Appeal. The Information Commissioner took a stern view of non-furnishing of information and non-appearance by the PIO.

He allowed the appeal and issued Show Cause Notice to the Public Information Officer of Daman Municipal Council.

Novel trick adopted by Administration of Daman & Diu for corruption?

In Govt. Polytechnic, Daman there is capacity for 360 students each year that means they are eligible for a maximum of 1080 students in the Polytechnic, out of that 80% students are from outside of Daman & Diu.

Their expected expenditure for 2017-18 is Rs. 7.04 crore and that too when there is a shortage of staff. This amounts to about Rs. 66,000/- per student per year.

Even after all these expenditures, they don’t have regular Principal to take care of education and the Reader is appointed as Incharge Principal since last 10 years. The Administration is not able to appoint regular Principal or other staff since long.

With all these conditions the quality of education is easily imaginable which is provided by the Govt. Polytechnic of Daman.

There are altogether approximately 60 seats reserved for degree engineering aspirants of Daman & Diu all over India from the central pool, out of that about 15 seats remain unfilled every year.

Now, the Administration of Daman & Diu is going to start Govt. Engineering College at Daman for these 35 students, for whom 60 seats are already available from prestigious institutes all over India and for this engineering college groundbreaking ceremony is to be performed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today.

The administration has published an advertisement for appointment of lecturers and other staff on a short-term basis of six months only. What kind of staff are they going to attract with such kind of policy? Only unemployed will seek such kind of employment and not the talented one, who are already employed.

Moreover, the same Reader, who is also Incharge Principal of Govt. Polytechnic, Daman is also appointed as Incharge Principal of Govt. Engineering College, Daman, it is dreadful to imagine the quality of education that will be provided in a proposed engineering college in such a situation.

Daman is surrounded by the State of Gujarat where there are approximately 56,000 seats available for engineering aspirants in government and private institutes and they are able to fill approximately 28,000 seats only annually.

All over India, there is a trend by private engineering colleges to shut shop and apply for permission to go for other streams of education because there is already an extra capacity built up in engineering studies.

It is estimated that to start engineering college, the government will fish out approximately 200 crores for the acquisition of land and infrastructure. Further, it will require additional fund for a salary of staff and other expenditure in tune of 20 crores annually.

All these expenditures are made for 35 aspirants only of Daman & Diu. But there is another option available for the same. If Govt. wishes that students of Daman & Diu should not be paying a higher fee of private colleges, they can sponsor students from Daman & Diu and pay all their expenses and for that, they can tie up with the best institute available in India for the same. Here the institute, government and students will be in a win-win situation. Institute will have fixed 60 students and Administration of Daman & Diu will save huge sum on infrastructure, other expenses and students will get a free higher education.

Paying a fee of all 60 students will approximately cost Rs. 2 crores annually only saving huge sum for the government, which can be earned from the interest on term deposit of amount expected to incur on proposed engineering college.

The reason behind this project of engineering college is not understood. For whose benefit this project is initiated?

To give legality to this project, they have made the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi a scapegoat, so no one will be able to question this project and motive behind it and they can earn crores of rupees in corruption.

Phoney work by PWD, Daman

The work estimate for “Repairing/Re-construction of damaged portion of various roads due to road cutting/digging for laying of pipeline from Madhuban Dam to Dabhel, Dunetha and Bhimtalav in Daman District” was prepared and said to be executed by the PWD, Daman.

This work was said to be executed for repair of roads where OIDC had laid pipeline for water from Madhuban Dam. When pipeline work was handed over to OIDC, the estimate included the item for work of repair of the road where roads were cut for laying of the pipeline. And same was also executed by them.

The PWD prepared estimate and approval was given for Rs. 2,88,64,770/- (Rupees two crores eighty-eight lakhs sixty-four thousand seven hundred seventy only).

The earlier estimate of which work was handed to the OIDC was also prepared by the PWD but with the aim to syphon crores of rupees, they had prepared an above-mentioned estimate. In this estimate, the Joint Secretary (Finance) had raised the question whether this item is included in the tender floated by the OIDC? But the PWD had replied to the query in negative while clearly stating that this work is not included in the work being executed by the OIDC.

This was done with the sole purpose to pocket huge money and dupe Government of crores of rupees otherwise what was the purpose to prepare another estimate for an item that was already included in the work handed over to the OIDC and executed by them?

Show Cause Notice under Section 20 (1) and (2) of RTI Act, 2005

Central Information Commission has issued Show Cause Notice to Gopal N. Jadav for not providing complete information for RTI request.

This application was regarding “Repairing/Re-construction of damaged portion of various roads due to road cutting/digging for laying of pipeline from Madhuban Dam to Dabhel, Dunetha and Bhimtalav in Daman District”.

The PIO Gopal N. Jadav of Work Division – I, PWD, Daman had provided incomplete information with an ulterior motive. Though the Work Order was issued for Rs. 1.32,96,232/- he provided bills for Rs. 23,16,920/- only and that too incomplete.

It is to be seen what explanation is given by Shri Gopal N. Jadav to Central Information Commission for providing incomplete information and what penalty is imposed by them.

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.