27 Jan 2023  |   04:50am IST

DO GOAN LIVES MATTER?

DO GOAN LIVES MATTER?

Blaise Costabir

There is a huge wave and we are not referring to the waves on Goa’s famed shores, these waves are actually a tsunami, hitting Goans from all walks of life and swamping them. 

The news that MPA has been given permission to double its coal handling despite an assurance in the assembly that the amount of coal handled will be maintained if not reduced. The powers that be say now, it is necessary for jobs and economy. Coal can be handled without pollution, and these worthies will impress on the companies importing coal to take steps to ensure the same. Really, why cannot the lawmakers entrusted with safe guarding our interests say, please handle the current coal without pollution and we will enhance the quantity for you. 

Without pollution, is not rocket science, it needs investment, a dome under which coal is handled at the port, mechanically covered wagons, not the flapping tarpaulins that are currently used, misting machines to ensure zero dust. This will reduce the profit of a few but make life healthier for Goans.

The next wave is the hurried commissioning of the ‘Manohar’ airport at Mopa which is closer to Maharashtra. Hurried because despite it being in the making for 10 years no effort was made to connect the airport to the rest of Goa. The Konkan Railway has been waiting for the Goa Government to ask them to run a service from Canacona to Pernem, it will surely be a blessing to those living in the southern parts of Goa. The Government finally woke up after they realised that taxis cannot be depended on. Like the expansion of current narrow road, this is going to take some time, till then everyone has to manage. Why could not Dabolim continue till it Mopa was ready? Why the hurry?

The Government was thinking taxis, but that too apparently takes time so the airport is functioning but taxis/transport is not. The focus is transport for tourists. What about the 15 lakh residents who live in Goa, do they not need a good and efficient taxi system, with technology anything less than an app based system would be going back to the stone ages. So with the taxicars and Government slugging it out, the local Goan once again misses the bus.

If that was not bad enough, the Government in its wisdom decided to divert the electric buses from the Panaji Margoa route to the airport, thus depriving regular paying commuters who had got passes for the service. They had to make do with the rickety old ordinary buses while paying for AC service. If locals are employed at Mopa, commuting would be expensive even by bus.  

Those living in the coastal belt especially in the north had to push the courts hard to enforce the sound ban, this effected traditional activities like weddings which had to end by 10 pm, just at a time they were getting warmed up. A few bad apples were creating a nuisance, Goans suffered due to the noise pollution and then due to the ban. The errant organisers have a bigger hold on the power centers of Goa rather than the citizens who vote. We accept that once we vote, the MLA becomes an independent authority, who takes his instructions directly from God.

Double tracking is happening even before the land is acquired, government sponsored encroachment as it were, the people are hapless. Double tracking for whom? Do we need to destroy Goan lives so that more coal can move in the guise of tourism? Where is a study on tourism carrying capacity for Goa?

Then last but not least is an issue which spells the death knell for Goa, the acceptance of the proposal by Karnataka to divert the Mhadei river waters. The CM rightly blamed the erstwhile government for the mess, but that is why the Congress was removed by the people in 2012, they were corrupt and inefficient. From 2012 what was the Government of the day doing? Most of the MLAs who ran the Government upto 2012 are part and parcel of the current ruling establishment. Strange but true. Its like pointing a finger at yourself. But the last laugh is on ordinary Goans.

The people decided to show their displeasure with this proposal in the CM’s backyard at Sankhali, it would have been ideal if he and his team had joined and shown solidarity. This was the theme of the treasury benches, do not play politics but come together. There is no rule that coming together has to be sponsored by the ruling party. 

Surprisingly it was stated in the house that if the river gets diverted, Goa as we know it is finished and yet apart from assuring the population that the Government will fight legally to stop this diversion, strangely no one gave a hint that if it fails what next. 

Environmental laws made after deep study are being diluted to allow faster so called development.  One would imagine after ‘Joshimath’, there would be a quick rethink. Alas, one of those short cuts is coming back to bite Goa. The Karnataka Government feels it does not need a wildlife clearance if the project is for drinking water, meaning if humans need drinking water, flora, fauna and Goans can go to the dogs. 

A double engine Sarkar, means Centre and State working at what is best for Goa. What we have is one engine is pulling independently and the other is simply pushing mindlessly. The waters of the Mhadei have the power to ensure Goa and Goans float safely again, because it is going to force a rethink quickly. Viva Goa!

(The author prefers to write rather than chat in a balcao)




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