Panjim today is a festering city. The roads are choked with cars all around the clock due to casino and cruise boat activities, festivities, events, open prostitution in city gardens and sewage cum garbage dumped all around by visitors to the city for which the poor residents are blamed unnecessarily.

 Our MLAs in the bygone decades have not been true residents of Panjim and are totally oblivious of the gruesome and tiring plight of the sleepless, noisy and fearsome daily routine of an ordinary Panjim resident, where crime has grown, with teasing garbage and sewage, spiced with open urination, serving as a standard mark for the CCP. The electorate of Panjim is at cross roads to choose between Congress and BJP.

Since 1994 it was only BJP that controlled the destiny of the residents of Panjim, and Panjim still has problems galore. Being a resident of Panjim from 1974, I have seen the capital city being transformed from a rich heritage conclave and a serene town, into a ugly Corporation battered, shattered, tattered with garbage, sewage and leaking sewage pipelines. Today, thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the politicians, cutting across party lines have all allowed cruise boats, fishing trawlers and the ugly casinos to dock and destroy, not only the River Mandovi but the fall out of this gambling industry and leisure tourism is today directly adversely affecting the Panjim environment, the health, quality of life and security of the residents of Panjim. For the Panjim residents it is a Hobson’s choice between the Devil and the Deep Sea. While in opposition, the BJP kept blaming the Congress for the unwanted evils of gambling thrust upon the people of Panjim, but now in power for the last 6 years, the BJP bosses have done “precious nothing” but kept extending the licenses as well as transferring them. Thus royally fooling the Panjimites. 

It is shocking to note that when one has a licence to operate a motor bike, it cannot be transferred to procure a heavy truck as a vehicle, using the license issued to a motor bike. However for a casino, bribery, tomfoolery and cheating the Panjim residents reigns supreme. The licence for a small casino boat has been transferred to bring about a “scape boat” with over 5 times the capacity of the previous licence. Today, if anyone is to be blamed for the silent death of the River Mandovi and the chaos on Panjim roads with outstation vehicles jamming the once peaceful Panjim, it is the Panjim residents who have to accept the blame and the responsibilities of electing double faced politicians doing nothing good for Panjimites.

Like true idiots, we the residents of Panjim have allowed ourselves to be deceived, waylaid by the political class, who when in power at a “particular time”, have deceived us. The recent example is of the new gambling den, the “Lucky Seven”, stranded on the Miramar Beach; Although, I personally had implored upon the GSPCB through  a “Note” dated 20.06.2017 and directed my request to see that an intervention petition be filed, before the High Court that the entry to the Casino  would eventually result in a Disaster. My plea remained on paper with no action taken to prevent the entry of the casino into the Mandovi waters, thus allowing it to drift and remain stranded on the Miramar Beach since 14 July, 2017. The issue before the court was played out to be, between the government and the casino operator, which it wasn’t in real terms, but the concern was of Goan environment and the residents of Panjim. The interest of Panjimites never reigns supreme, as the MLA is a non resident. Now the boat seems to have lost its soul with a gaping hole.

Both the casino owner and the government played a fake encounter before the Court and sadly the Court wasn’t able to see through the treacherous game plan to destroy the environment of Panjim and harass the residents of Panjim. The tax payers paid over Rs 112 crores to remove River Princess (instead of getting Rs 60 cr as value). Now history seems to repeat.

Today, as it stands, Panjim is ruled over by those with dubious characters who dish out empty promises and make a series of “U-turns”. Sadly, Panjimites still vote for those who deceive, to power. Panjim has been governed from Taleigao, Dona Paula, Mapusa or even New Delhi. Do we require a smart city, or do we require a quiet, peaceful and a tranquil environment of a “Comfortable city”. Today, be it IFFI, the trade fairs, the wine festivals, the film shootings, the open markets on play grounds or the congested cruise boating and casino operations – it is the life of the resident of Panjim that is brunted, blunted and shunted, with outstation vehicles jamming roads and pedestrian walk ways. There is open prostitution, urination, littering of garbage, defecation and noises of all night – drug trade and nefarious activity. My house, which is 25 metres from where the casinos and cruise boats operate, is packed with outstation vehicles whose drivers peand the entire night in the car. It is a concern to me that even an ambulance has no space to reach out to senior citizens in case of an emergency. Only the pockets of the political class are filled as people suffer.

 The casinos, cruise boats and the event managers make money and keep the political dispensation in good humour through hefty bribes and favours. We hear regularly and religiously during the “Election Time” of clean and green Panjim, but we get decaying Panjim and dwindling mangroves and biodiversity. 

Once, the Mandovi was brimming with fish, shell fish and marine biodiversity. There were over 45 different species of fish. Today, we witness only fish, which feed on sewage and detritus dominating the river waters. We now witness that the Panjim commerce is dominated by migrants and Panjimites are today like strangers here as Panjim has lost its glorious past.

You cannot fool all the people all the time; except for all those who reside in Panjim, like me, who have remained fools, each time. For Panjimites tom foolery is the order of the day. Man may come and man may go but Panjim would degrade forever.