Eddie Viegas
It is interesting to note that on one hand while the contributions of the Church and her flock with regard to various social activities such as education, health, care of the old and sick, care of the orphans and neglected are taken for granted and often go un-noticed and un-appreciated. On the other hand when the Christian community or some of its leaders touch upon subjects which affect the politicians or their ill-construed plans, the political giants rise up in arms and point fingers at the actions of the Church. It must be borne in mind that the Hierarchy of the Church while offering guidance to the people irrespective of their religious leanings, per se has never imposed any ideas on the community.
With regard to the current environmental and social developments in Goa, the Church has a right to guide the people in keeping with the basic human rights of the citizens. Some of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching are, life and dignity of the human person, call to family, community and participation, rights and responsibilities, option for the poor and vulnerable, the dignity of work and the rights of workers, solidarity and care for God’s creation – read “environment”.
A lot of the programmes and projects in Goa today go awry and result in public opposition because the politicians seem to be deciding what is good for the people and then take it to the people. The correct way would have been to let the people at the grassroot level decide for themselves what is good for them.
According to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Gram Swaraj, each village should be basically self reliant, making provisions for all the necessities such as food, healthcare and education to be available within each village. The Mahatma has gone on to elaborate the ill effects of globalisation which in the present context of Goa’s mass development as a state, are equally relevant and may be read as follows: (a) Violation of human rights of the developing areas, (b) In the name of bringing prosperity, resorting to plundering and profiteering, (c) Going for cultural assimilation via cultural imperialism, (d) Export of artificial wants, and (e) Little care for nature, ecology and environment.
Indeed, the rampant growth of high-rise building in the villages of Goa is real food for thought. Goa with its current population of around 1.4 million of which over 35% is said to be of migrants is already overloaded with problems of a cultural shock, ill planned and destructive form of tourism. For whom are we building the new high-rise structures? In fact like in Chandigarh, a city so well planned and maintained we need a ceiling that all new buildings in Panchayat areas should not be more than Ground plus one high. This will certainly keep the villages manageable and keep the Greedy profit makers at bay.
It would do well for Goa and Goans that the people at the village level are given an opportunity to suggest what they need and then make a comprehensive plan for the State of Goa so that we have a broad based Pyramid of a thoughtful process rather than an inverted one.
