In a day of canine mayhem, a family was attacked by the four-legged strays and their child, badly bitten, the trauma was endless for the family. The same day, another incident of dog bite led another citizen to take the anti-rabies vaccination course and the ensuing trauma.
Elsewhere in a town ward, a child was mauled by a pack of strays, four on the child heading for evening tuition, while neighbours tried in vain to separate the raging dogs from the stunned boy. A sudden turn by a stray cow along the old pick-up stand led to a youth falling off the bike, helmet on.
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A pile-up of traffic recently led to old collector-building from Margao Municipal Building (MMC) in the heart of the town. The traffic police near former Marliz Cafetaria were busy issuing challans even as an elderly lady struggled past the Zebra Crossing as honking motorists snarled to surge ahead in the ensuing jam.
Early morning walkers — mostly senior citizens often have to hop-skip-jump on their morning routine to skip stamping dog poo, cow dung or used sanitary pads.
The stray cattle and dogs feed on open dustbins around the new market area. There have been no proper dustbins here since the 1980s. Margao is a dirty mess, it has been turned into a nightmare in front of the authorities blinded eyes and inaction from the MLA, does not help.
The citizens too are not yet bothered in participating in cleaning the town. It once used to be a healthy town to dwell in, raise children, take care of senior citizens, work and do business, Goenkars from nearby villages celebrated a shopping trip to the commercial capital with a typical “Goencho Bhaji Pao” at Bombay Cafe, “Masala Dosa” at Kamat Milan, “Falooda” at Penguin dos Jelados or munch onto hot freshly roasted groundnuts packed in a rolled paper-cone sitting at the pavements around the garden, and those were the “glory days” of the town, all but lost now.
Not much is left of the ancient glory and heritage of the bygone era, all hopes and dreams of a revival look buried under a rubble of despair, garbage, open litter, broken glass pieces, metal beer cans, foul smells and all sort of other pollutants, Margao is now the epicentre of a major health hazard looming.
Today, apart from filthy migrants, beggars and other strays, humans struggle to live in a town that brings no joy or it has been long destroyed. The strays are all over who can go berserk and attack anyone that comes their way, anytime.
Luckily, there are no school kids this time around. If in Goa, bullfights are banned officially, at Margao one can get to watch bullfights open and free right at the famed municipal garden or Aga Khan Park, in the heart of the town, often, there could be bloodied wrestling bouts by drunk or drugged migrants too to top it up. Not what you expected in your community living books of a civilised city. The authorities are not bothered. Why is it so difficult to impound wandering cattle in Margao? Why has the stray dog sterilisation programme failed? Where has all the money meant for these projects vanished?
Another five-year term of the current council came to an end last October, no system was put in place and not a thought as to check where previously placed systems have failed.
Not a single of the outgoing Margao Municipal Council councillors, owing allegiance to the two MLAs of Margao and Fatorda, including two lady chairpersons bothered to do their bit, the musical chairs of the chief officers and what they did while at the chair is another sad saga altogether, that reflects poorly on the ruling government’s Urban Development Ministry.
The culprits have gone unchecked and the citizens and all those who travel into Margao for shopping and other work continue to suffer.
Stray canine mayhem, open cattle fights, zero action by authorities render Margao highly unsafe for the common man.
As we have seen in previous weeks about Margao’s ticking health time-bomb, the roadsides full of abandoned vehicles, garbage and litter…and now the livestock menace that threatens the basic balance of a once beautiful town — Margao.
