In a major Independence Day announcement, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant unveiled plans to give free tap water of up to 16,000 litres per month to every household from September. The decision comes close on the heels of a 'free power' push initiated by the Aam Aadmi Party in Goa, constantly engaging the government in an issue that has become an election plank.
The announcement seen as an election-related sop will bring in monetary relief to thousands of people across the State, but on the flip side, the government will have a lot of answering to do. It is surprising that Sawant has fallen prey to the 'free gimmick' which he trashed so vociferously with retaliatory remarks -- "nothing comes free." If we may recall, soon after the much-hyped 'power' debate between Goa's Power Minister Nilesh Cabral and Delhi Power Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain, Sawant tweeted that Cabral "represented the people of Goa against the politics of falsehood, lies and misleading propaganda and bust the myth of freebies"
If Cabral saw victory in his 'power' debate with Satyendra it was because he stuck to the stand that his government is not in a position to give free power. A vast section of people reconciled with his argument on the premise that the State treasury is running low. "There is no such thing as a free lunch", so goes the popular adage, a line which the State government consistently used to counter AAP's campaign of free power. What we are now witnessing is a bizarre reversal. Unfortunately, Sawant has moved with a clear intent of scoring over political opponents and reaching out to vote banks even going to the extent of making financial compromises.
The State government is mindful of the glaring deficiencies in the system and a poor distribution network, be it power or water. Goa has perennially faced supply issues, thanks to a highly porous distribution network. A large section of Goa, including the chief minister's Sanquelim constituency, has been facing massive water issues. People are left high and dry and are forced to march to PWD offices and even gherao engineers. Major parts of Bardez, including Mapusa; Sattari, places like Porvorim, and even the capital city, are facing water cuts on a regular basis. The much-acclaimed milestone of being the first State to reach 'Har Ghar Jal' is a sham.
Sawant's reasoning that the offer of free water will result in cutting down on water wastage is hollow. Instead, the CM has to explain the math behind the scheme, the net loss in revenue to the treasury and how he is going to compensate for this shortfall. Someone has to pay, and Goans would like to know who is paying.
The people of Goa have neither demanded free water nor free electricity, or for that matter any freebies. All that the common man wants is the normalcy of life. They want the basics of living. They want an uninterrupted supply of "clean" drinking water, 24x7 power supply, motorable roads and just those bare basics. Nothing more, and nothing less. Promising free water when people are struggling to get even their daily share of water does not make sense.
Sawant has weathered many political storms and succeeded in taking his team through a roller-coaster ride so far. Despite the resentment he faced from some quarters, there was an element of sympathy arising out of the financial situation he is facing. Election gimmicks aimed at deflating opposition strategies by overriding strongly held beliefs, and even ignoring the financial health of the State reflects a sense of electoral desperation.
