Thanks to the boom in tourism and the shipping industry putting a lot of money into the hands of Goans, financial institutions are coming to Goa in droves.

Last week, the State Government passed an act to attach the properties of financial institutions who fail to repay their depositors. Only banks and non-banking financial institutions recognized by the Reserve Bank of India are exempt from its provisions.

Recently, some activists in the State complained that a bank was passing itself as a foreign bank to attract depositors. Its canvassers are known to ferry in potential account holders to its premises in the evenings for a look at its premises. ``Gullible people are told that the bank can pay higher rates of interest since the bank is open for longer hours and therefore earns more money,''an activist told this diarist. Actually, what the people are shown are the cubby holes housing its automatic-teller machines (ATMs) that are open round the clock! So is there a newfinancial scam in the offing since the bank is promoted by an NBFC?

Clever thieves

Several small-scale industries in the State have ganged up together to figure out ways and means to cheat the Power Department in the State. A day or two after their meters are read by the electricity department employees, engineers are flown in from Mumbai to ``reset'' the meters of all the conspirators.

The following month, the meters are functioning normally on the day when the bill reader comes visiting. The meters are tampered with soon after. Of course, surprise raids are not possible since the meters have walls built around them and access is permitted only when the proprietors say so! Small wonder Power Minister Nirmala Sawant is scratching her head for a solution to catch the thieves!

Gambling on Net

Internet surfers looking for a site on Goa should not click on www.goa.com on the Internet. For this address takes them to the home page of a French gambling outfit. Know French and have access toan international credit card? Place your bets online!

Tailpiece

The average policeman on Goa's roads may have little in common with Sachin Tendulkar, but the helmets he and his teammates wear are popular with lawmen here. The logic is if Shoaib Akhtar's bouncers can be stopped by the helmets, so can missiles hurled by rioters. Can't argue against it!

-- SHIV KUMAR