Goa governor silent on land conversion, Birch inferno, lauds state govt initiatives

Panaji: Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju delivered his first customary address in the legislative assembly, but his 84-page speech skirted around rampant hill-cutting, widespread land conversion, and violations that led to the death of 25 people at a nightclub at Arpora.

Raju’s two-hour-long speech began on a disruptive note, with the opposition MLAs swarming into the well of the House over the Birch nightclub tragedy.


Towards the end of his speech, Raju expressed his sorrow over the deaths “in the tragic stampede at the Lairai Devi Jatra in Shirgao, the Arpora fire incident, and human lives lost in road accidents”.

The year’s first assembly session formally begins with the address of the governor, and the opposition wanted Raju to speak on issues that vexed the state in recent months.

When Raju stood to address the House, opposition leader Yuri Alemao demanded that the governor make a statement about the fire that broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane in the first week of Dec.

All seven opposition MLAs then rushed to the well of the House, prompting marshals to escort them out.

With silence prevailing, Raju gave a clean chit to the Goa police, stating that law and order remains “under control” in the state. “This is proved by the fact that Goa maintains a high crime detection rate of 87.7%, ensuring that individuals involved in criminal activities are apprehended through collaborative efforts of the Goa police and other law enforcement agencies,” said Raju.

He said that govt is committed to robust vigilance and citizen-focused policing. He also said that Goa remains on track to become a developed state by 2037. “The preparation of Vision Document Viksit Goa @ 2037” is in its final stages of completion. This document will act as an all-inclusive, long-term blueprint for transforming Goa into Viksit Goa,” said Raju.

The governor said govt is aware of the “serious problem of stray cattle” that leads to road accidents. He said it is working with panchayats and civic bodies to relocate stray cattle to gaushalas effectively. “Ten local bodies have availed the Goa Stray Cattle Management Scheme, incurring an expenditure of Rs 9.7 crore,” he said.

Raju also said the creation of a third district will strengthen administrative efficiency and bring governance closer to the people by reducing the workload on existing districts and enabling faster, more responsive delivery of public services.

He said the Mhaje Ghar scheme will address the plight of landless persons. Speaking about the resumption of iron ore mining in Goa, Raju said govt earned Rs 252.8 crore as an upfront payment after auctioning 12 mining blocks. He said five of the blocks have begun extracting ore, while the remaining seven blocks are in the process of obtaining environmental clearances and other permissions.

The fourth round of auction of the mining blocks and the e-auction of 10 mining dumps are also on the anvil, said Raju.

He said govt plans to launch a new app for people to register grievances and complaints.

In his speech, Raju also spoke about some of Goa’s dying traditional skills and cultural practices. He said govt aims to document and revive some of these skills.

“My govt is in the process of designing a system to incorporate our Goan artisans engaged in traditional occupations into a formalised set-up. The process to identify the existence of 71 traditional occupations/businesses, so as to create a database, is under process,” said Raju.

His speech also touched upon cybercrime, education reforms, rural development, skill development, industrial and investment growth, and waste management. He said a ‘happiness index’ is on the anvil for the state.