The
various agitations against government projects have evoked strong responses
from the government. FIR’s have been filed against protestors who had assembled
to protest double tracking. This has generated much heat in Goan society. This
move is part of a template followed by the government all over the country.
People from all walks of life had much to say about this and also if this would
dissuade them from joining protests in the future.
Trisha
an artist who resides in Goa felt the move would have no affect on people’s
participation. She said “I have not been an active participant but have
observed it and I can say people are not afraid. They have witnessed this
government going against laws. People can assemble and it is a right in the
constitution. The agitations were peaceful and people shouted slogans as is
normal in such situations. The people are united. They achieved some success
with the materials being cleared because they had no license in ROC”.
Carlos
Ferreira practicing advocate in the high court of Mumbai in Goa said the filing of cases against your own people was the first sign of
collapse of the system of governance. He said “In my view, it is completely
wrong to have the FIR filed. The filing of the FIR will now be used to create a
stronger movement against the Government and would not have the impact desired
– to frighten people into submission. Those days are long over. The writing is
loud and clear. The Government is slowly, but surely at its wits end”.
Another legal luminary Shanti Fonseca who is
also a social scientist said this move by the government would not change
anything. She said “These are people with conviction and who have a deep love
for Goa. As in the past the state will withdraw these FIR’s and the charge
sheets produced in court. This has happened with all agitations in the
past. It is generally done just before elections”.
Parag
Hede a financial planner in Goa felt this was a pattern followed by the
government at the centre. He said “Anyone protesting has a FIR filed against
them. Filing of a FIR is a blow to democracy. It is natural to protest,
if you disagree with something. You can warn people to shift to another
spot but it is not a crime to protest. Goans are aware of what is happening all
over India and this will not affect the actions of Goans. Some activists have
already clarified this protest will continue. So that’s that.”
Arun Naik another Goenkar
who has watched the evolving situation said the government seemed keen to find
some excuse to file an FIR. He said “It will not stop anyone in the world so
why would it stop Goans. It is our democratic right to protest. I
sympathise with the protestors. I have seen the hardship caused to the people
of Vasco due to Coal”.
Samrat Kataktalware a
businessman based in the south felt this move would affect the protests. He
said “Every individual is different; some may not mind having a police case on
them but the people who have government jobs or even private sector jobs can’t afford
to handle a police case for many reasons. This may affect their career
adversely. Thus there is a possibility that few activists may avoid
participating actively in the protests and stick to social media activism
only”.
Kabir
Pinto Makhija one time deputy mayor Panjim said “These are very serious
issues concerning the state of Goa and its impact will be felt on the future
generations. The government and the protestors have to sit across the table and
have a dialogue in order to sort these issues amicably. Filing FIR’s will only
worsen the situation and may lead to law and order problems.”
However
Bharat Kamat felt the fight would continue. He said “The activists are
fighting a genuine cause like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Just as no
amount of Arrests stopped those leaders, no amount of arrests will stop the
activists from protesting. And let’s not forget that some ruling MLAs have come
out with the protestors. These protests are here to stay and if the Govt
doesn’t listen to the protestors then investor sentiment towards Goa will go
bad. This is time for introspection and accommodating the genuine views.
Actually if pollution is controlled, then things will fall in place. This is
where the Govt, MPT, Private industry and most importantly the Pollution
control board have failed miserably”.
Looks like this is going to
be a long ride for both parties with no one willing to back down.
