Black flags, Diabetes registry and Football stadium

Let’s see, what’s been shaking in Goa? Not Digu’s chair definitely. After 20 days of living in purdah, he emerged and inaugurated the Diabetes Registry at Kala Academy – if you want the date, Google it, you’re not getting spoon fed here. Well he emerged from purdah and there, like the evil witch, at the Sleeping Beauty’s baptism – you know, we never did get to know what Sleeping Beauty’s real name was. Well like the evil witch, we had the BBSM waving black flags and yelling slogans which were not complimentary to Digu-of-the-CM’s-seat.

This had everything to do with the Medium of Instruction issue and they were milking it till the cows went home. The slogans were shouted in Konkani, Marathi and Hindi. Very, very Bharati Bhasha. But before they could do phooooh to the traditional lamp, all potential embarrassment makers were winkled out by the cops, dumped in the three police buses and borne off in a leisurely manner to the Panaji Town police station.

Digu’s programme went through smoothly, as smoothly as a cheesecake going down a diabetic's throat. And the black-flag-waving protesters squatted in the vestibule of the police station, sang songs and shouted more slogans. The media waited outside and finally Parrikar emerged to tell them that the MOI circular was illegal and the Cabinet decision overturning the Assembly decision was illegal, and that he had written complaints to the Home Secretary and the Education Sec. Nothing new in that, so that was one hour of my life, I am never going to get back.


Diabetes debate

What to do, we are like that only. We never ever think good things about any of our montris. Poor old Vishwajeet Rane is losing hair by the handful trying to make us Goans healthier and giving us lots of freebies. But like a newly born blister on your toe, the niggling pain is ever present. Is it all above board? We know the awful truth that there are no freebies anywhere.

The government, that means you and I, are paying for the free diabetes medicines, and free treatments at GMC and free whatever else we are supposed to get but never do. And you know what? Goa today became the first Indian state to have a diabetes registry. You know who is handling it? Denmark's Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF).

You what Novo Nordisk is? ‘Tis a pharma giant in diabetes treatment. So with the registry, they will get a huge number of guinea pigs and captive patients. Forget Nandan Nilekani’s Unique ID, The Diabetes Registry will have its own unique identification number. It will get and keep track of all diabetes victims in Goa.


How the Goan taxpayer will be helping Denmark

That this is very important to Denmark is clear when Denmark's Ambassador to India Freddy Svane cozies up with Health Minister Vishwajit Rane. Thousands of people will be gathered into Novo Nordisk’s data base. Treatments will be given, diabetes products manufactured by Novo Nordisk will be sold to Goans through the Goan taxpayer. And European medicine is phenomenally expensive. Svane said in a fast-growing and vibrant economy like India, diabetes and its complications can lead to huge human and economic loss. He forgot to mention huge profits to his economy, just with the sweet toothed highly stressed and very lazy Indian population. India has 50.8 million people who have diabetes and the economic cost of the disease is estimated to be 2.1 per cent of the GDP.

That’s a huge slice of the pie to Novo Nordisk.

So I have a question: If their bread and butter depends on this disease, do you think they will actually work towards ending it?


Why is Kabir Makhija against the football stadium?

A very logical question was asked of Kabir Makhija. His family have given a piece of property right opposite the Campal Football ground to a builder, Adcon, one hears but one may be wrong. The project is going to have 200 flats. 200. And each one will cost nothing less than Rs 2 crore. Makhija says the football matches will add pressure to the traffic at Campal, and the spectators will add to the garbage too. So he was asked by an indignant Dr Rufino: What about the 200 flats coming up in your property across the road? The kind of people who will be buying those kind of flats will have at least three cars per flat and a couple of two wheelers. That’s almost 600 cars and maybe 300 bikes? They will be plying up and down throughout the week. The football stadium will have cars and bikes only on the weekends. How much more garbage will be created by very rich families occupying 200 flats? The wealthier one becomes, the more garbage does one generate, that is a universal law.



Why the Campal Football Stadium will be rebuilt

But Rufino and Surendra Furtado and 118 football teams along with fans and followers from all over Goa want the football stadium to be built. Without the field, Panjim’s kids are turning into sissies addicted to video games and TV. Also this is the capital dammit. A capital needs a football ground. Now there is pressure on Digu who is also the Chairman of GIDC to give the go ahead. The Director of GIDC is Sanjit Rodrigues who has always been deeply committed to Panjim. A plan has already been submitted to the GIDC showing parking inside the stadium for two wheelers and provision for a river road which can also be used for parking. They are trying to work on Digu to complete the stadium before the next elections, so Digu will have his name written in gold in the hearts of football lovers of Panjim. It should be a cakewalk for Digu. There are only two families objecting to the rebuilding of the football stadium. It’s not like it’s the Medium of Instruction where he’s damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. Here both Parrikar and Monserrate are supporting the rebuilding of the Campal Football Stadium. Cakewalk! ______ Bevinda Collaco