PANAJI
The hype created by the State government regarding MOGA, which later turned out to be a mascot for the National Games, became a subject of ridicule in the Goa Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
Fatorda legislator Vijai Sardesai criticised the unnecessary hype around MOGA and suggested that the person who came up with the name should be given a special award. He also mocked the government for designing a mascot that resembled the FC Goa mascot, implying that it was a poor imitation.
The suspense around MOGA began when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted about it last month, generating curiosity among the public.
KA slab collapse
During his discussion on Govind Gaude’s portfolio, Sardesai also raised the issue of the collapse of the Kala Academy’s open-air slab. Besides Sports, Gaude also holds the portfolio of Art & Culture and is the Chairman of Kala Academy. Sardesai questioned the delay in reopening the iconic structure and hinted at possible corruption, claiming that the work on Kala Academy was progressing slowly because funds were being diverted to the construction of a massive bungalow at Dona Paula, allegedly linked to the Art & Culture Minister.
Forest Fire
Sardesai also expressed disappointment over the government’s silence on the wildfires that occurred in March. He raised concerns that the burnt areas might be converted into settlement zones and reminded the Assembly of the CM and some forest officers claiming that the wildfires in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary were man-made incidents.
He criticised the absence of any mention of forest fires in the Budget and questioned the government’s plans for restoring the burnt forests. “The CM should provide special provisions and necessary infrastructure to restore the fire-affected areas and address such situations more effectively in the future,” the former deputy CM said.
G20 funds
The opposition also highlighted what it considered to be an excessive waste of funds on the G20 summit pointing out that out of the allocated Rs 320 crores, Rs 80 crores were spent solely on event management. “The government does not have sufficient money for advertising Goa Statehood but has enough funds for the G20 summit,” Sardesai criticised.
