Goans are at a decisive moment of the turn of their existential history. Their post-colonial history is scripted with agitations, demonstrations, protests, etc. which continue till date, and how long it will continue?
It all started with the Ramponkar Movement, followed by Zuari Agrochemicals Pollution Protests, Nylon 6,6, in which Nilesh Naik, a youth from Savoi-Verem, lost his life in police firing; Konkan Railway re-alignment movement; Konkani agitation, in which Floriano Vaz and six other Konkani activists had to shed their blood; Meta Strips agitation; Regional Plan 2011 (scrapped after agitations) ; casinos; nationalisation of rivers; Tanmar power project; coal pollution; railway double tracking to mention a few of the main ones and recently against TCP over land conversion.
Let us remember that in most of these protests, Goans were branded as anti-nationals to frustrate their aspirations, while we are more nationalistic than many of their counterparts in India.
All these protests were meant for the protection of Goan land, ecology and environment. Since the last two/three years, Goans are agitating themselves with their aspirations, frustrations, and hopes, protesting and fighting again and again for the preservation of their greenery, hills, valleys, plateaus, rivers, and khazan lands, which are being destroyed in the name of development for the profit of builders (not for Goans) and Investment Promotion and this has assumed the form of village to village agitation because every Goan village will suffer irreversible damage and destruction if this kind of development is not halted immediately. Katharina P Kakar is of the opinion that of late Goa has seen ‘an invasion’ of individuals of higher economic strata.
This destruction of the State is meant to intentionally wipe out Goans from Goa and fill it with rich non-Goans. The irony of the present situation is that a government, who is duty bound to work for the welfare of the people of the State, is working against the interests of the same people, facilitating land mass conversations in the guise of correcting mistakes in the Regional Plan.
Anyone, even an illiterate may question (and laugh at it), how is it possible that a Regional Plan prepared by a team of experts in the field, appointed by the very government, can contain so many mistakes/errors to be rectified and who approved the said Regional Plan?
If so, how is it that those who had prepared it have gone scot-free? Why didn’t the government take action against them since they were paid from tax-payers money? Will the State answer?
Most of the States of India have Land Ceiling Act, wherein the land buying and selling in the State is regulated. How is it that the State of Goa has never thought of such an Act? It is precisely kept open to sell our land to outsiders.
Since the identity of Goans is at stake, what is required at the moment is a moratorium on land conversions, a stay on housing projects crossing certain limits of development.
In the last three years, I have written at least in four of my articles in the O Heraldo about the land for housing needs of Goans. The late Chief Minister of Goa, Mr Manohar Parrikar is on record in the Goa Assembly on April 15, 2013, that out of 3702 sq km, which is the area of Goa, only 362 sq km are left for future development. From 2013 to 2024, a period spanning 11 years, how much land is still left for housing only, for a population of the State, which according to the 2011 census was over 15 lakhs.
From 2011 to 2024, a period of 13 years, surely the population of Goa might have crossed over 20 lakhs. If we take into account this population of 20 odd lakhs, has the Government calculated how much land is still left for housing only, let aside other development. Can Goans afford to buy land for housing, if at all available, at today’s prices? Then where will the Goans go? Does not this amount to uprooting Goans from Goa? If not what is it? Will the Government answer?
If the State is only interested in promoting Investment in Goa through IPB, what remains for Goans? Can Goans afford to buy even a flat in these mega investment projects?
Another aspect which is being totally ignored in Goa is that bulk of the population lives in the villages. Our villages have their own uniqueness and heritage.
They are eco-sensitive in nature and the infrastructure of many of them does not allow more development. Has the carrying capacity of our villages diligently studied or sogllem voilea-voir cholta?
Formerly the village planning was done by the Ganvkari or Comunidades. Post-1962, it is being done by the TCP and the village panchayats. Since 2014, the village panchayats have their Development Committees. Are these Village Development Committees actively involved in the formulation of the development plans for the respective villages?
While planning the village development, they have to take into account the carrying capacity of our villages with regard to greenery, hills, sustainability, impact on biodiversity, ecology, environment, electricity, water supply, sewerage, roads, garbage, transport, etc. The village planning should be from the grass-root level and not imposed from the top down.
Most of our villages in Old Conquests and some in the New Conquests also, have no spare land for mega projects, while many Goans in these villages are struggling to build a decent house for their living. So where are Goans heading to? Isn’t it for self-destruction? Has anyone an answer to these questions?
It was recently in the news that the High Court of Bombay in Goa, called in a ‘suo-motto’ petition regarding illegal constructions in panchayat areas.
The village panchayats are only administrative bodies in the Goan villages, without being owners of the village land. The land is owned by the Ganvkaris/Comunidades.
It is precisely because of this dichotomy that the illegal constructions are flourishing in the village panchayat areas. Will the High Court take notice of this and order that any constructions in the village panchayats should bear an NOC from the Comunidades?
Proper planning will bear in mind the housing needs, not only of the present and next generation of Goans, but generations yet to come. It is called intergenerational equity. Is there any land left for Goans?
I hope that all Goans and the State Government will give a thought for the issues involved in the article and articulate wisely their intentions for the welfare of Goa and Goans.
(The author is a
well –known columnist and author of the book ‘Goan Village Communities’)