The State government has shown some sense of urgency on various promises made ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi. If we may recall, the government had assured compensation to farmers whose crops have been ravaged in the recent floods; there was an assurance to clear all potholes on the roads; the sports minister promised to clear all the dues of sportspersons who were awaiting reimbursement and reward money of the National Games held last year; and the beneficiaries of Dayanand Social Security Scheme and Griha Aadhaar who were unpaid for the past two months were also given assurances.
Three days ahead of the festival, the government appears to have covered a fair bit of ground and is ready to release the first tranche of compensation to farmers, and paid social security scheme beneficiaries and all sportspersons whose dues were pending. On roads, the PWD has issued notices to erring contractors and the work on highways has been carried out on a war footing even though some major district roads continue to be in pathetic condition giving an impression that it would be highly unlikely to accomplish full coverage.
For the first time perhaps in recent times the State government has made genuine efforts to deliver on its promise and followed it up, unlike the history of unkept promises. Last year too there was a similar promise on crop compensation, but payments came in a trickle leaving the community disillusioned.
At a time when the State government is betting big on Swayampurna Goa, farmer well-being has to be a priority area. If the State had to change its outlook towards cultivation, then the best way possibly would be to encourage and motivate farmers in production and sale. Delayed disbursal of crop compensation has been one of the biggest impediments because every year farmers held the grouse that release of funds was taking labouriously long putting a lot of strain on their economics. Granting compensation ahead of Chaturthi would not only make a huge difference to the distressed farmer in terms of festive cheer but would also rekindle new hopes.
It is a positive sign that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is walking his talk, especially against the backdrop of holding out high ambition on farming. If we may recall, Sawant mentioned last week that his government will send a detailed proposal to the Centre to revive khazan land across Goa so that it could be brought under cultivation. The government can nurture such plans only if it puts the farmer in the driver’s seat, at times overriding other priorities.
For example, the pleas of farmers to save their khazan land at Borim Bridge have fallen on deaf ears. The farmers have had several meetings and protests. Sections of people, including senior citizens have come on the roads pleading to save their farmlands but no solution has emerged. Although the release of compensation is an encouraging sign, it is still not good enough to build that broken bridge of trust between the government and the farming community. A defeated farmer who has worries about failure and a sword of insecurity hanging over his head can’t be a driver of Swayampurna.
Secondly, the promise of filling up all potholes appears as hollow as the potholes themselves because, practically speaking, at no point in time can Goans expect a tarmac finish. The condition of roads has been dynamic all the time with a mix of good, bad and ugly. A good road now can turn into a highway hell before Diwali. The work on roads must continue around the year without any feel-good timelines. That being said, the contractors also need to pay the price for sub-standard work, round-the-year, and not just at these timelines.
The positivity which the government intends to bring during times of festivity cannot be ignored, but at the same time, it has to be far-sighted in the larger interest of the State.
