In my last article I had lamented that Indian leaders had cheated us, Goans, on many of their promises and that they do not deserve to be trusted anymore. In fact, they ought to have never been trusted, considering our past experiences with them, but unfortunately our nature is such that even if we don’t believe them, we pretend to, either because we need to patronize them to serve our selfish interests or because we prefer to continue living in our comfort zone, avoiding raising our voice or coming on to the streets to demand justice for ourselves.
It is not alone leaders in Delhi but our own fellow Goans who have betrayed us and whom we continue to elect, despite the fact that they do not deserve a second look due to their active role in destroying and selling Goa.
Congress leaders must stop shedding crocodile tears over Special Status to Goa, which they could have granted to us long time ago. But it was in their interest, as it is now of the BJP leaders, to be in friendly terms with builders, developers and other magnates who could finance their parties and their elections or stuff their personal wallets. Have we not known of Vedantas dishing out funds to the Congress and in greater measure to the BJP? After receiving such favours how can one turn one’s back on them?
The BJP Government, which cleverly pretended it was keen in getting Special Status for Goa to preserve its land, has not thought it fit, so far, to convene a meet of all political parties to bring about some law to achieve the purpose, as suggested by some experts. This proves abundantly their insincerity on the issue, which has translated in the CM himself throwing up his hands in the air, claiming it to be a mirage. We have missed several opportunities of having our aspirations met.
Further delay will only spell doom for Goa, despite the fact that, for once, almost all Goans seem united on this demand, without, however, any display of such unity. The BJP is only buying time. Sale of land to non-Goans is surely more lucrative as not only do they have more black money at their disposal but they will not also easily spill the beans about the bribes paid. The delay in finalizing the Regional Plan has only one objective: to make hay while the sun shines and extort as much money as possible on the arbitrary powers that the TCP Board presently has to use and misuse them for development and construction. Shouldn’t those who promised to scrap the Regional Plan in their manifesto and won the elections on this ground be treated as cheats, traitors and liars? Wasn’t that the promise made by the Governor himself on the floor of the Assembly? What sanctity do his words have, and that too pronounced in what is known as the “August House”, if the party in power cannot stand by them? Knowing that corruption continues to be rampant in this State and having had it from none other than the then CM & TCP Minister, Manohar Parrikar that the TCP is so corrupt that he would have to close it if corruption had to be curbed, isn’t the delay in finalizing the RP a way to perpetuate corruption in the Dept.?
Though a Government circular provides for RP 2001 to be in force, as a reference plan, with salient features of notified RP 2021 to be effective, in case of eco zones, water bodies, forest areas, etc. it also allows case to case approvals by the TCP Board headed by the CM. Such clauses ought to have been used to help the deserving but they are used mainly to grant approvals for huge projects, for obvious reasons. They are nothing but approved routes to corruption – to help those who can and will shell out and extort from those who cannot but eventually have to, as they are left with no other alternative. The TCP Board members ought to have been experts in the field of planning, etc. but that is not the case and generally politicians and business people find a place therein. Surely such powers to grant arbitrary approvals on piecemeal or case to case basis are and can be misused and carry a price tag. And yet one finds BJP spokesmen shouting on TV channels that there are no cases of corruption in BJP. The Lalit Modi episode itself is enough for the BJP to bury its face in the ground.
The main reason why I detest certain politicians in Goa is not because they are corrupt but because their actions display least love and concern for their own State and their people. Even when proclaiming that the aim is to create employment for locals, it is money either for themselves or for their party that is the overriding factor, ignoring environmental and other concerns. Will the Government tell us how many jobs Goans got in Konkan Rly. and what is the percentage of Goans employed in our Industrial Estates, with so much of land provided by Goans? There was a time when I sincerely felt that Parrikar had a heart for Goa and for Goans, but I no longer feel the same. What kind of a Goan is he that he takes land from poor Goan farmers in Mopa and proposes to offer 15 lakhs sq. mtrs. of that land for real estate construction to the airport builder, thus bringing hordes of non-Goans to a State already saddled with an excessive immigration problem? Wasn’t he the one who concurred with a group of us that Goa was saturated and we had no capacity for any more?
Besides the problem of loss of land to outsiders and consequent rising costs of land, which Goans cannot afford and which is the main reason for the demand for a legislation to protect our land, it is imperative that our rulers also look at Goa’s carrying capacity.
Like the Congress did, the BJP is also strengthening their vote bank by encouraging immigration and illegalities. Goa is already bursting at the seams. Neither our infrastructure nor our resources permit further influx. Ignoring the need to control immigration can be done only at the great risk not only of our wellbeing but also our health and our lives.
(The author is a retired banker)
