WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
I live in Goa, back home after years away to help, advise when advice is sought by those in power, and often mourn the reckless destruction of so much that was created by our grandparents, our ancestors, although they had never really ruled their beautiful homeland. Now as rulers we Goans participated in or led the decimation of all that was best.
I am proud to be a Goan and an Aldonkar. Panchayati Raj of Gandhiji’s dream is established in Goa but as much else the people, the gram sabhas though active are overruled. Yet it must be said that an admirable fight keeps the worst excesses at bay. Panchayati Raj was a dream for development. I am sorry that in the last few years it is being destroyed. As Finance Commissioner I had produced a report that would resolve issues and pave the way to the best preservation and use of the resources of our villages. The report was duly presented to the Governor, photographs taken, Vijay Kelkar of the Finance Commission Delhi wrote a personal note of appreciation, but it was never tabled in the Assembly nor discussed. Possibly because if action suggested was taken, politicians and their henchmen would lose control. A few weeks later the Minister from Goa announced in Delhi that Goa does not need Panchayati Raj.
Our Goa in the past had paddy fields, rice, fish, and vegetables and milk. What we now see are salt in paddy fields, floods, and even our wells which used to give us sweet water have become salty. Liberation is good for us. It gave us roads and colleges and schools and piped water supply for many of us; we also have internet, and computer classes. But there are many schools which require repair, toilets but no water supply, and there are no teachers. Many students fail and leave school as teenagers tempted by offers that come their way to service the vices of tourism.
We have to travel long distances to take our grain and fish to the Mapuça Market especially on Fridays but there are no buses when we want them for school or for the market; it is sad to see women walking miles with loads on their heads. For me in my twilight years, recalling the vision and hope of the early years of freedom, it is heart break and frustration. We see big skyscrapers crowding out cottages and fields, destroying embankments and bunds, destroying our fisheries and agriculture. And then the more you destroy them we have land grabbers who come and tempt us to sell land, converting fields and orchards for construction of villas. A witty minister critical of his government is said to have quipped that more conversions have taken place in these years than during the period of Portuguese rule. Perhaps the pun was lost on the guilty parties.
I am sad and confused, but helpless. Is this the way of the world, the path to modernity? Is our Goa to be destroyed? That is why I am happy that there is a force propelling Goans to question the plan and to save us and our beautiful land with its soil, its trees, its water, the source of the future for our children and our livelihood. We must have development, jobs, education, health, water, but this must be for us and not for land grabbers who use our little water for swimming pools, destroy our fish, and our hills, and destroy our kul devta, and sabin mai. They bring in people who have no love for Goa. However the unique qualities of our environment and way of life also draws writers, artists, specialists in various fields whose work space is lovingly restored houses, who join our movements to preserve our livelihood and our traditions. We must establish panchayati raj (Part IX of the Indian Constitution) which empowers Gram Sabhas in our Aldona, in all of Goa, for our life and livelihood, for the future of our families, and our harmony and culture.
(The writer was the first Development Commissioner of Goa 1962- 1965, Secretary of the Land Reforms Commission that recommended restructuring rather than destruction of Comunidades. He passed away on June 27th 2009.
This piece was written by him and was discovered by his widow Dr Maria Aurora Couto in the course of her research. She felt that it being topical it should be published.)
