‘We want to protect our Goenkarponn’

HERALD: It is not just Goa Forward which is aligning with the BJP, MGP is also with them. The issue here is that the election that was fought by MGP was against the BJP which we felt, let you and your version of Goa down. The entire fight was against the manner in which the BJP was conducting itself and moving away from the path that it had set out to. And you clearly said that BJP is deviating from the culture that it held and it was because of this, and with your alliance with the GSM you fought a very strong battle against the BJP. So, what suddenly happened to the issues?

Appa Teli: We never said that we are never going to align with BJP or Congress, prior to election. We have never made a statement. We fought both the parties on our own strength.

HERALD: With all due respect, I think your different leaders were speaking in different voices. One brother speaking in one language, another one was speaking in another language. So there was complete contradiction. I have a feeling that it was a planned contradiction, where you kept the doors and windows open for a deal later.

Teli: Whether to join the government or not to join the government, we had not committed anywhere because we knew that on our own we wouldn’t be able to form the government. So we had to align with someone. Now with the given circumstances we had to go with the present government.

HERALD: What was wrong in not going with the present government and staying back?

Teli: We believe that Goa requires a stable government instead of some weak coalition.

HERALD: So overnight all the problems with the BJP vanished?

Teli: No, the problems remain. However, we believe that we will be able to sort out the problems by being in the government.

HERALD:  One of the sad points in the last 2 to 3 years is that there is a general feeling that we are truly losing our ‘Goenkarponn’, it was losing its culture, environmentally Goa was getting finished. There were huge projects that were coming in and most of them completely controlled by outsiders. If you look out at the Tiracol project, it is a huge eyesore. And we in the Herald, continued to fight against the manner in which the sale of land not only to outsiders but to others was extremely problematic – the cutting of hills, the conversions of zones, the coal handling. Each of these issues has really hurt a large number of people. So while we look at Rebooting Goa and at taking Goa to the next level, my personal feeling is that nothing should be done until the backdrop of Goenkarponn is in its true sense brought back. While the economy, infrastructure, so and so forth, is the need of the average Goan, the need to protect environment, the need to protect the weaker sections of the society are the needs to protect and preserve our land. I would invite Rajendra Kerkar to speak regarding the fears and apprehensions which were there earlier and at this point of time.

Rajendra Kerkar: In Goa and India we don’t have education as far as environment is concerned and that is why the people, the leaders are going away from environment ethics. Not a single party gave importance to issues like Mhadei damming and diversion or the Mhadei tiger reserve. These are the future of Goa, we want to protect the future of Goa. We want to protect our Goenkarponn. I don’t believe we are going to protect our Goenkarponn if we don’t have water resources. In Goa we are very fortunate that we are blessed by beautiful rivers, blessed by high mountain peak like Sosogadd, we have natural resources but there is no proper policy of protecting them and managing them. The people who guarded them all this while are not getting benefits, that is the reason Goa is losing its identity and that is why it is time for all of us to think, how we can give this identity to Goa. In order to give this identity or the Goenkarponn, there is a need that we have to look at the environment. In Goa we will find that this is losing fight. We see the battle between human beings and wildlife intensified and there is no solution. No political leader, no political party in Goa is bothered about this.

HERALD:  Do you have the confidence that a political dispensation of any sort, really cares about this? If you look at various environment ministers, for instance Alina Saldanha, at the start said that Goa needs to get special status. At the end with all apologies, she remained a gungi gudiya. 

Kerkar: We have to educate them and we have to create such an atmosphere that people should come forward and tell them that these are our priorities.

Gupta: Do you think that this will be delivered by this government?

Prashant Naik: I think that this government has been made with Goenkarponn. All the decisions of the Investment Promotion Board should be reviewed because you cannot give right to one window and let the destruction of 800-1000 coconut trees. For Goa coconut is the identity, you cannot in one go cut down 800-1000 trees. In respect to save the environment, a recent concept is come of TDR, you will be paid for having a forest land. Places like Valpoi and Canacona, people are affected as why an individual’s land be declared as forest land? Somebody will have to buy the TDR and keep this forest land or as orchard land. I feel that in all that Goa can be made organic farming center will be made. 

HERALD: I would take a quick response on this issue as Goa Forward has been taking strong credit for delivering on reviewing of IPB and this TDR.

Cleofato Coutinho: One of the main things for Goa Forward was that they would repeal IPB, I think this was the agenda no. 1. There will no compromise on the issue of repealing of Investment Promotion Board. And I feel that the issues raised by Rajendra would be revolving around IPB because according to me, a small state like ours cannot have such laws. I would say the law of IPB is a total fraud. See we have various laws Town and Country Planning Act, Agricultural Tenancy Act. We have various laws that are flouted because the IPB is a non-obstante law because it overwrites all other laws.

Nitin Kunkolienkar: Then you have not read IPB correctly. No! Let me tell you that IPB law section 23 clearly says that all the statutes of the State should be followed. It is only single window in principle clearance.

Coutinho: IPB is a non-obstante law.

Kunkolienkar: Section 7 talks about the areas for investment promotion areas. Even there were specific exclusion is made under section 8 which areas are not been declared.

Ramesh Gawas: I’m handling the MRF issue. Currently 3000 coconut trees have already been cut down without anyone’s permission. There is no one to listen on the contrary what about the eco system of the already destroyed trees.

HERALD: The intention of creating the IPB is to facilitate, but the point is the manner in which the law is used is what makes the law good or bad. There are two things that are happening, one is the Amdai issue. If you look at the IPB act it lists the go areas and the projects that are no go areas. Highly polluting red category projects were not allowed under the IPB mandate.

Kunkolienkar: Where is it mentioned?

Girish Chodankar: Even if it is not mentioned, red category industries are harmful for the State.

Kunkolienkar: Where were you all this while? Why didn’t you demand an amendment?

Chodankar: We don’t want an amendment, we want it to be scrapped. We have already made a statement also in this regard.

Kunkolienkar: Every politician wants recruitments to take place but does not want to facilitate.

HERALD: That is the problem, politicians are interested in their personal deals then they will use the IPB.

Kunkolienkar: Show me a plan for the employment of the future generation which is around two lakhs in the age group of 10 and 20 years.

Chodankar: But IPB is not going to solve the problem.

HERALD:  Was the IPB intended to clear hotels and real estate projects? Look at the investments that have come and the maximum number of projects cleared are major hotels and eco resorts and stuff like that. 

Gawas: MRF project is right on the banks of River Khandepar which provides water to 30 percent of Goa’s population and now the whole bank has been devastated. WRD rules say that in distance of 100 meters there can be no development. But IPB is overriding this and they have done it. Have you taken stock of the sick industries as they generate maximum employment.

Kunkolienkar: Let me make a statement, in last five years I’ve not seen the Director of Industries or the Industries Secretary have not been to any of the industrial estates.

Coutinho: We talk about negativism and opposition to projects. This is because there is a trust deficit as far as the government is concerned. How much land is the government holding which is already acquired.

Gupta: How much is too much? The industrialists and the other people say that because of this amazing level of opposition that the industry is facing people are moving away from Goa. But at the same time, we need to see that Goa’s identity and Goan land needs to be protected. We need to strike that balance.

Kunkolienkar: Corrections are required and we should also protect our fragile eco system. We don’t want rampant industries also, it is not that open up and have industries everywhere. We don’t have people but some of the industrialists keep on taking labourers on contract. You need industries, we need pharma but priorities are required. We don’t want 100 pharmas, we need only five. You need to build up skills. Is any political party or the activist discussing on the skills or on the pattern of education on the state? No!

Who knows which year’s syllabus is being taught, the pattern of industrial business is changing. US will just push technology, you will produce here, they will exploit. We are not taking our students to the next generation. Goa hasn’t got a good Education Minister for the last 20 years and that is a sad story. So many Chief Ministers have kept Education dear at their hearts and being busy they never gave time.

Chodankar: For the longest time Manohar Parikar has been the Education Minister. In the 1st term, 2nd term and 3rd term.

Kunkolienkar: Why do you come only on Manohar Parikar, you also see Digambar Kamat. Education is a sensitive issue of the State’s next generation. I don’t care if BJP or Congress is messing it up. What are you doing?

Gawas: Nitin, you raise all this questions and nobody supports. When activists do it they are suppressed. Genuinely you are not against anyone but government is not taking your suggestions. And activists are not negative. Government is neither accepting our suggestions nor yours, than whose policies are you implementing?

Coutinho: We just now said that IPB has been clearing hotels and eco-projects. I’m not saying anything is wrong in that, but what is our capacity? How many hotels and how many eco-resorts can we have? We should have that carrying capacity. Today we say that tourism is our main thing. We are going on having resorts and hotels. How many hotels? 

Gawas: See 23 percent of the land is coastal and 59 percent of population has occupied that 23 percent and 30 lakh tourists come every year. How can you sustain it?

Kunkolienkar: I was very happy to know, 5 to 6 tigers have been seen in Goa and it can be declared as tiger reserve because gradually we can get to do tiger safaris and that can be one economic activity.

Rajendra Dessai: As you speak of tiger reserve, Rajendra Kerker has been doing a lot of work for saving tigers. Many villages and people were against him because when it comes to tiger reservations then there will be various restrictions on human life.

Gupta: I would like ask Rajendra Kerker, at the end of the day how do you balance the need of protecting Goa’s land and at the same time having the investment to see that Goa’s economy rises?

Kerkar:  Development has been defined as a result in the growth of the development of the downtrodden people. But whatever development has been projected in Goa after liberation has been focusing only on a few people. That is why if we want development then we have to declare the areas of the forest which are free from human settlement. If we create Goa as a tiger reserve that would be adding glory to our land and that will help our land to prosper. And for the last two decade I want these areas to be declared as a tiger reserve and that is going to solve our problem of Goa and make it a beautiful state.