Until now, the youth had been part of the larger groups that have been fighting to preserve the thousands of trees that are slated for felling to make way for the three linear projects – double tracking of the South Western Railway line, expansion of the highway and the Tamnar power project. But, on December 7 the youth came out on their own, when they walked from the foot of Altinho Hill to the top to the Forest Bhawan reiterating their demands: that the Forest Depratment no issue any work orders to fell trees for the Tamnar project, and that the department return the ‘destructive proposals’ back to Tamnar, SWR and PWD.
For the past several weeks, the youth have been part of a flash mob at the awareness meetings that were being held across the State. This has been the first demonstration by the youth of their stength by taking up a cause that concerns not them directly but in the larger interests of the State. Their’s is not a selfish demand, they are seeking for something that will preserve the State for future generations. They had been conspicuously missing from the various movements that have taken place in the past years. A few may have been there, but a majority had chosen to stay away. That they have now taken up the cause of the cutting of trees in the Mollem forest indicates that they are concerned about the future of the State.
This is what the youth of Goa – the future generations of the State who will inherit what if left to them – want from the government. They want that the forests of Goa be protected for them and for the future, so that they can have a purer environment. Is this too much to ask from the government that is elected to protect the insterests of the land and the people?
The youth are very clear in what they are demanding. They want that their future in a clean environment be ensured and that their identity be not diluted. They are seeking a future where billowng clouds of coal dust do not pollute the environment in which they live and that the trees of the forests will remain standing to act, as they have done for years, as the lungs of Goa and give pure air to the generations ahead. For them, their identity lies in the Goa that currently exists, and not one whose face will change with the three linear projects that are planned, and the transportation of coal through the State. They want that the government leaves the protected areas untouched and stop all projects in the biodiversity hotspot. Interestingly, this is not a mere protest against the government, for where the power project is concerned, they have alternatives to discuss, among them solar energy.
Now, will the government listen to the voice of the youth and what they want? Until now the government has not committed to the various groups that have taken up the issues. But this is different. The government has to respond to the youth, tell them whether it is listening to their demands, or give valid reasons why it is ignoring the demands of the youth of Goa. To recap, they are asking for a Goa that is ‘clean and green’ and for the ‘forests to be protected and saved’, and they are taking to the streets to make their demands heard. But, though they have been loud with what they want, there has been no action yet to meet the demands.
