the goan I network
MARGAO
It isn’t clear whether Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar or Saxtti’s lone minister Vijai Sardesai are aware of the hardships faced by Saxttikars and citizens just to get a copy of the government’s Calendar 2019 or the gazette notifications because of
a pure administrative deadlock.
Indeed, the Goa government’s Calendar 2019 is offered for sale at the government printing press, Panaji, but citizens down South Goa have nothing to cheer about. For, while the calendar is priced at Rs 40, citizens from down South may have to end up shelling out Rs 100 to get a copy of the calendar, taking into account the bus fare to and fro Panaji.
The reason is simple. Ever since the government printing press sales counter housed in the Comunidade building was shut down three years ago for want of maintenance of the building, the Printing Press has stopped operating from the district. That’s not all. Even though the district Collector had allotted a room on the ground floor in the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex to the government printing and stationary, the counter is yet to become a reality till date.
Director of Printing and Stationary Damodar Shanke says the department cannot be blamed for the impasse as the Collectorate has allotted a room without basic amenities. “We are all geared up to start our operations from the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex, but the allotted room has no basic amenities. We have already shifted our cupboards and furniture in the room, but the operations have been kept on hold for want of the amenities,” Shanke said.
He pointed out that the room has no power supply nor internet connection, the basic amenities required to start full-fledged operations in Margao. Moreover, he pointed out that the department had asked for an NOC to carrying out painting of the room, but in vain. “We will not be able to effectively function without an internet connection since we have to download the gazette notifications and give the print outs to the applicants,” he added.
The administrative deadlock has left hundreds, if not thousands of citizens from down South, without easy accessibility to the documents available with the Printing Press. Says GOACAN Co-ordinator, Roland Martins: “The government calendar is offered for sale for Rs 40 and the same is available only at the Panaji sales counter. This will result in consumers having to spend Rs 100 to travel by bus to Panaji & back and waste half a day just to get a copy of the calendar that cost Rs 40. The present traffic jams that people have to face in their bus journey to Panaji due to the bridge construction is adding to the hardship of the consumers from
South Goa.”
The issue over the reopening of the Printing Press Sales Counter was an agenda item in the meeting of the South Goa District Consumer Protection Council held on November 22.
At the meeting chaired by Additional Collector-II Surendra Naik it was pointed out that the Sales Counter must be opened at the earliest so that the people of South Goa are not put to hardship and the same
was noted by Andre TA Pereira, Deputy Director (Technical) Government Printing Press.
