With the State Assembly elections drawing closer, Goa witnessed a spate of familiar ‘aayaram-gayaram’ activities by legislators and former legislators during the end of the year.
In December itself, two Congress MLAs and controversial former Ministers, Mauvin Godinho and Pandurang Madkaikar, joined BJP while former Congress Minister Babu Azgaonkar quit Congress to join regional outfit Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
The political situation is ripe as MGP has made it clear that their alliance with BJP is on the verge of breaking, once the election is declared. Two of the party’s Ministers — Sudin Dhavalikar and Dipak Dhavalikar — were sacked from the cabinet by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar earlier this month since they had attacked him and demanded BJP replace him, in public.
Mr. Dipak, who is the president of MGP, hinted several times this months that the party will align with the Goa Suraksha Manch-Shiv Sena-Goa Praja Party coalition — a combine led by rebel Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh (RSS)-Goa leader Subhash Velingkar to defeat BJP.
The year began with Goa government declaring the popular fish ‘ Shevto ’ as a State fish in January.
On January 13, Caitan Vholte, a 30-year-old African-American, was chased down by residents of a village in North Goa, who suspected him to be a thief. The incident, according to police, led to his death in a paddy field sludge.
Goa’s renowned pop singer, Remo Fernandes got a conditional anticipatory bail in a case of verbal abuse of a minor girl, on January 16. In November, police filed a charge sheet in the case in Goa Children’s Court.
In January, the BJP-led State government passed a controversial bill that removed the protection given to coconut palm as a tree in the State’s Forest Preservation Act. The government was accused of favouring builders.
A ban on Mangalore-based Hindu right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene and it’s chief, Pramod Muthlik continues to be in force by the government, fearing that the entry of the outfit’s activists could affect peace and communal harmony in the tourist State.
After much protests from some local groups, the ninth edition Defexpo India — a land, naval and homeland security exhibition that witnessed participation of nearly 1,000 global companies — was held in Goa from March 28-31 at Naqueri Quitol in South Goa, at the initiative of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Unattached MLA and former Education Minister of Goa, Babush Monserrate was booked by the State police on May 4, based on a case registered against him for a minor’s rape.
The Goa Police Crime Branch on July 31 registered two FIRs against the management, sales and editorial personnel of local publication oHeraldo for allegedly attempting to extort money from casino companies, in a reported lottery scam.
On July 27, Karnataka government’s plea to diver 7.56 TMC water from Mahadayi to Malaprabha basin was rejected by Delhi-based inter-State Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal in an interim order. The decision led to celebrations in Goa and protests in Karnataka.
A political development that drew wide attention was the sacking of RSS’s Goa chief Subhash Velingkar on August 31 for breaking discipline of the organisation, and for persistently attacking Union Defence Minister and former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, demanding that the BJP government stop providing grants to the English medium Arch Diocese primary schools. Mr. Velingkar then set up a parallel RSS Goa wing that now leads a regional party named Goa Suraskha Manch.
On September 23, the Children’s Court in Goa acquitted two accused — Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho — of all charges in the rape and murder of a British minor who was found dead on Anjuna Beach in a semi-clad condition on February 2008.
Almost a year after registration of four FIRs for sexual harassment, the women’s police station in the city on October 4 filed four charge sheets in cases lodged against the then bureau chief of Press Trust of India, Rupesh Samant, under sections dealing with harassment, stalking and molesting.
Renowned Perfume specialist Monica Ghurde was found murdered in her flat On October 6 at Sangolda in North Goa, allegedly by Rajkumar Singh, a 21-year-old former security guard of the residential complex in which she stayed.
After much public debate over the peacock, the national bird may be declared as vermin in the State for damaging crops. In October, the State Wildlife Board had proposed the peacock and wild boar be declared as vermin. The board also put forth a proposal to allow killing of the wild boar in “certain parts of the State” during “certain season.”
The State hosted the eighth BRICS summit in South Goa from October 15-16, in which dignitaries from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa participated.
The nine-day International Film Festival of India was held in November, soon after demonetisation was imposed by the Narendra Modi-led Central government, which severely impacted — and continues to impact — the State’s tourism industry during the peak season.
