In spite of misgivings and total collapse of governance in the state, Goans seem to have just fallen prey to the political gimmicks of the BJP.
And it’s with heavy heart to state that it looks like Goans have surrendered themselves to their fate to the present state of affairs. In case anyone had high hopes for Goa to be the ‘Numero Uno’ state of India, you are sadly mistaken. Instead, it has now gone from bad to worse with total collapse of administration which can be gauged with daily news items appearing on newspapers. Be it, Panjim Smart City fiasco, Kala Academy loot, filthy city bus stands, pot-holed roads, Road rage and accidents, the great land grabbing, hill cutting, jobs scandals, unresolved Sonsoddo garbage, etc…etc..just to name a few.
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The slogan of ‘Na Khaoonga, Na Khane Doonga’ still echoes throughout the country.…
Today, the virus of corruption has taken deep roots at every administrative block and more so ever since the BJP made inroads into the corridors of power. That doesn’t mean the Congress was innocent here. They may have mastered the art, but today the BJP has outsmarted them in every aspect. A visit to any government department will help you to understand the callousness and a sad tale of functioning. On a visit, check if anyone in any department is helping you to sort out your problem or extending help to alleviate your hardships. I bet you won’t find any soul who will reach out to you but instead explore the ways and means of extracting a pound of flesh and take you for a ride. And the monsters in the making are mostly found in the TCP, transport, revenue department to name a few. Even hospital schemes are not spared from this menace. And that’s the sad part of the Goan story.
In Goa, we should be grateful to some of the NGOs and most of the activists who have been spearheading their movement and actively exposing the malpractices of the government. No doubt they are constantly on agencies’ radar as well. The Goa government is hell bent on changing the State’s landscape as well as demography. The way things are going on, it looks like there is a mole planted in every department by the builders’ lobby which is in connivance with top government servants who are disgracefully selling Goa to the highest bidders. Whatever is left now is definitely due to the activists and NGOs who are sacrificing their valuable time and energy. All they need is our support and encouragement and not brickbats from those who have their own agenda to promote at the cost of development. So, let’s bow our head to those activists and NGOs and whistleblowers that are doing their yeomen service to Goans so that the future generations are left with some inheritance; whether it is land, rivers and fields or other resources which are in dwindling mode at present.
How much do we know about the land grabber’s that were arrested? Will the government ever release the investigation report to the public? A few arrests here and there make a headline but ultimately no final judgement will ever be known? This tall talk of arresting land grabbers is just for public consumption but in reality they go scot free because the powerful and mighty have their own way to tame and tweak every rule of law. Haven’t we heard and read enough about the latest jail break of Colvale jail by one of the land grabbers? Don’t we see jokers having a field day?
Our memory is always short lived. So every trickster takes advantage and takes Goans for a ride.
Today, nature is definitely having a close look at Goa’s ecology. With recent global warming showing its wrath in most of the countries, the Goa government is far from learning any lessons from it. Who knows when Goa’s rivers and hills and mountains may feel the heat of nature’s fury?
The greed of rich, bold and beautiful people is insurmountable, and so too the greed of our politicians.
It would have been so wonderful had the government only taken its people into its confidence and accordingly went for the development. But instead the government’s hand in glove with the builders’ lobby of non-Goans has been exposed. And this is the crux of a problem which is destroying our Goa.
If the Government for the last two decades or so cannot solve the problem of Sonsoddo garbage, what more can one expect? As of today, every town or city is crying for attention. The quality of works undertaken shows the lethargy and ignorance of the contractors. Goa has now turned into a contractors’ paradise, of course with the blessings of our government.
Our once beautiful Margao town in the South which is now turned into a ghost city with city fathers busy on looting spree instead of taking care of the health and wealth of the city. Dirty politics has become so filthy today that the descent or right thinking candidates from the society find no place in the decision making. Every decision has been challenged or arrogantly side-lined to selfish interest. The city today is crying for attention on every front be it beautification, cleanliness or discipline of the traders. Illegalities have mushroomed at every corner from small traders to the unlicensed businesses. And the end result is the public who is facing the wrath for want of discipline and breathing space of their once beloved city. A visit to Margao Municipality building, have a look at the road divider, a corner just beside the municipality! It lay in shambles for some years with migrant labourers making merry at this place. Is it wilfully left unattended or the councillors just turning their blind eye to this once beautiful sight to behold?
With the capital city being constantly on a bombing spree, we cannot expect anything better to be completed in near future. And instead of all these messes, the government is making tall claims of good governance. And of course we, the people, are blind to this. Imagine, had any other party’s government been in power; that government would have been brought down to its knees. Unfortunately, Goans have too big a heart to bear and forget all the government’s failures.
At the moment, Goa has become politically a ‘sinkhole’ for every opposition member as well as for the people who are kept on tenterhooks. Raise neither voice nor do any untoward that will hurt the ruling party. And all politicians have been following the ‘silence is golden’ mantra. But, mind you. Come the next assembly elections and we shall witness yet once again those who will keep jumping the fences or get drowned in the political whirlpool.
But one thing is certain that Goans will have to undergo yet another exercise of voting to bring the morons back to power. Because, unless and until the present political weeds are uprooted for good, no one will ever have the spine to fight back and reclaim our past glory. Because the saviour of Goa is yet to be born. Till then, it’s the ED, CB and CBI that will rule the roost. It has been clear now that our very ‘Gõykarponn’ is at stake and may just remain in the history book. Goa is now slowly experiencing cultural death. Hence Goans will have no choice but to choose between the devil and the deep sea and remain ‘sussegad’ for the rest of their life.”
