Goa Guv shoots down govt proposal for new Raj Bhavan

The ongoing tussle between Governor Satya Pal Malik and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant took a fresh turn on Saturday, after Raj Bhavan in a statement spurned (for now) the Goa government's offer to build a new residential complex for the Governor, calling the proposal "irrational and imprudent".

The stern comment from Raj Bhavan comes a week after Sawant said that his government had approved a project to build a new Raj Bhavan complex and had begun the process of identifying a location for it.

"The Governor in his letter to Chief Minister has further clarified that his requirement for functioning as Governor is very limited and he does not require any new Raj Bhavan building per se," Raj Bhavan said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"The Governor believes that at a time when the state is battling Covid-19 and reeling under financial crises, the idea to construct a new Raj Bhavan is irrational and imprudent. The Governor feels that any new capital work would entail unnecessary financial burden on the state exchequer thereby exacerbating the economic distress of the state," the statement also said.

Sawant's announcement of a new Raj Bhavan complex, especially when the government is on an "austerity drive" had triggered an avalanche of criticism in the media, social media as well as from the Opposition, which had accused the Sawant-led administration of splurging money, instead of using financial resources to battle the pandemic.

Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat has also lauded the Governor's decision to stall the new project.

"It is the responsibility of the government to set its priorities. Giving basic comforts to the needy must top the agenda of every effective administration. The welcome decision of Governor of Goa to keep the new Raj Bhavan project on hold. Economic Revival Plan is (the) need of the hour," Kamat tweeted.

State Congress president Girish Chodankar had also alleged that the present Raj Bhavan, which currently functions from a centuries-old Portuguese era complex, was being eyed by the casino lobby in the state to start a new casino centre.

Malik said that he was concerned about the adverse press which Sawant's announcement of building a new Raj Bhavan had attracted.
"A lot of negativities and controversies are being generated on the matter of the state government's proposal for construction of a new Raj Bhavan building," the Raj Bhavan said in its statement.

Sawant and the Governor have been at loggerheads ever since the latter had accused the Chief Minister of trying to "put words in his mouth" and blame the media for criticism of the BJP-led coalition government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Malik last month had also picked holes in the state government's apparatus and strategies to contain the pandemic, causing much embarrassment to the state government.