This is yet another example of rules and regulations being flouted by influential people in Goa. An illegal construction in Old Goa has gone ahead on a World Heritage site. Apart from CRZ violations the land is also a protected site. Permission was given on the basis of a photograph of a house in Pernem. They were given permissions by all the necessary authorities and they went ahead and constructed a new structure in Old Goa. Yes, you better believe this. Now the people of this state have had enough and more importantly the youth of the state have decided to stand up and fight for the future of this state.
Yesterday, a group of people which included a large number of college students from all over the state visited the area. One of the people involved, Fredy Dias said the trip was to check and see if what had been reported was absolutely true. He said “We went there and saw for ourselves the blatant violation that has taken place and it was obvious this was done in absolute violation of all the rules by people with backing.”
For the youth who were present over there it was an eye opener of what was taking place in the state. Pritesh Patil college student who was pursuing a B Ed said he learned about the violations in Old Goa from a priest in Xavier’s. “I was shocked when I learned from him what had happened in Old Goa. I have been out of all this for two years. Then I was involved in the coal issues, the coconut campaign, river nationalization. I was aware and involved”. He said it was important for the youth to be involved. He pointed out that usually such matters were brought out by the older generation and then the younger generation got involved. He said if the youth got active then nothing untoward would happen to the state. Pritesh said there was no way people could sit on the outside and hope for the best. They would, he said, have to get involved to get the Goa they wanted to live in.
The very young Adsila Afonso who is a first year student of a college in Pilar said she had been a resident in Old Goa all of her life. She said “I am 19 and a 1st year student and this illegal construction on a World Heritage site is not acceptable. It is up to us people in Old Goa to fight against this. This is the first time I am being involved in something like this. For the future of this state, its youth have to stand up and be counted. We have to fight for Goa otherwise our future will be concrete structures. If we don’t fight, the future generation will ask us what we were doing and why we did not stop it.”
Fibern Gomes, another 17 year old from a college in Panjim said the time had come to fight for the protection of the state’s heritage. He said “We have to ensure that people from outside don’t come in and destroy what makes this state so special.”
Sudiksha Naik was present for a while but she had to leave due to professional compulsions. She said “I am an architect and am very concerned about the preservation of our heritage. I am very aware of the heritage of Old Goa. My ex classmate at college informed me about these very unfortunate developments and I knew I had to be there. I know what it means to go against the rules governing protection of the coastal zone. When we design a structure we look at the area in which it is located and design accordingly. If you don’t you end up looking very odd. I am busy but yes I keep track and I am emotionally very involved.”
Sabira Sheikh, a 2nd year student in science, said she learned of the violations from Father Bolmax and had visited the site to see for herself as to what was going on. She said “I don’t know where I will be after my studies but as long as I am here, I will fight for my Goa, I will fight for it to ensure its beauty is not marred by projects brought in by devious means.”
Nishant Saldanha returned to Goa from Chennai three years ago. He said it was not surprising to see Goans and the youth getting more vocal about certain developments in the state. Nishant said “Goans want a state which aligns with the idea they would like to live with. Goans have an understanding of the fragility of the resources and the youth are driven by their love for Goa.”
It is encouraging to see the youth get involved in actions against projects that are detrimental to the interests of the state and are in violation of all the laws of the state. Time will tell us how it will all work out.
