You have very well written in your editorial (the Goan issue of May 6) about the needless extravagance in the swearing-in ceremony of the present government of Goa. The people and the government of Goa are fully aware of the weak financial position of the State. The CM has gone on record and asked government departments to exercise restraint in expenditure. In this situation where was the need to have a mega and pompous swearing-in ceremony by inviting top dignitaries from the Centre and spending Rs 5.50 crore of public money?
In the last 60 years, several swearing-in ceremonies of the government have been held in the Raj Bhavan which were simple and decent. The recent swearing-in ceremony where lakhs were spent on putting up a stage and cut-outs of the Prime Minister for a short programme was nothing but a criminal waste of public money. The BJP did not get a massive mandate to deserve such a celebration and even if it did have, having a grandiose and pompous function such as this one was totally unjustified and ridiculous. The government should take note of the displeasure of the tax-paying citizens and get the legislature to pass a resolution in the Assembly not to repeat such extravagant functions.
