As a Research Scientist and a Field Worker in the laboratory and on the ground, I have addressed several challenges on aspects of the environmental impact of development on both health and the holistic wellbeing of our society.
In Herald particularly, my essays have extensively covered the intricate details of immunogenic responses of Covid-19, including genetic engineering, vaccination, nutrition and environmental checks and balances.
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In this article, I will cover the socio political and the economic responses to COVID-19 and sustainable development. The Covid-19 was sought to be contained in 21 days by our Prime Minister. While asking the Indians to bear patience and tolerate the three weeks of lockdown by social distancing and sanitisation, our PM said that the menace of Covid would be nipped in the bud just like Mahabharata was won within 20 days. Our country would come stronger and safer by mid April of 2020, our PM assured us then.
True, the doctors and scientists have done their best to contain the menace of original corona virus, through scientific procedures and protocols including prophylactic measures and curative interventions. In this essay, I will delve only on the socio-political exploitation of the politicians in power which has turned the pandemic from a scientific threat into a political joke. I had explained in details from March 2020, that masking, social distances, environmental management would only work if, we improve our innate immunity, fortify our nutrient intake, purify our polluted air, waterways and soils and avoid adulterated foods.
Our politicians instead of allowing our senior citizens the goodness of Vit D in sunlight, the richness of oxygen in our parks, gardens and beaches, hurdled our society in deleterious anaerobic conditions denying oxygen to our lungs, damaging our organs, thus increasing comorbidities and secondary infections.
Instead of rationality pervading we were way laid into pseudo models of Covid containment. Our Casinos were fully functional, our rivers were pumped with copious releases of sewages from fully functional 3-7 star hotels, infected labourers from Maharashtra crowded our industries, tourists, gamblers, criminals mingling with the docile and hapless Goan citizenry victimised everyday to coal dust, traffic chaos and election jhumlas of the government in power.
How many Goans are aware that the wicked Goa government tried to bulldoze elections to municipalities and Corporation of City of Panjim much against the tenets of science but also attempting in bulldozing the judiciary in Goa?
The audacity of the Attorney General of Goa to defend illegalities and ridicule the Bombay High Court judgement of the Goan bench was atrocious. When the pandemic was on the surge, elections were held with names of voters from each house scattered across three different constituencies thus the voters were made to travel long distances and become victims of Covid virus.
Even the Panjim MLA and many residents of Panjim became victims as a result of CCP elections. The public money was used against our High Court by the Goa Government to challenge the excellent and righteous judgement of our High Court in the Supreme Court. With litigations public mobility on the electoral process, Covid-19 rose sharply in Panjim.
We all know that casinos are the main cause of the scientific and environmental disasters facing CCP. Even as I pen this article, hundreds of Covic-19 infected gamblers loom large across Panjim and Goa too. Ridiculously, the cultural Shigmo festivities were banned but the contagious Captain of Port ignored all safety protocols in the garb of development. Whose development?
The casino lobby and the CoP collect huge tranches from gamblers at the cost of society which has to stand against the menace of environment, pollution due to noises, garbage, easying across roads and pavements, parking woes and noctural growth of crimes, with Covid rising sharply due to lowered immunity of the local population.
Whilst the party in power was able to win as pandemic ills were used to transform vote for a note and against Note your vote. Money changed hands and pandemic became wild and virulent. The worser evils are yet to show up in Goa. However, it was the high court in Goa which rightly pointed out that the Law Officer of the Government cannot be the Election Commissioner. Sadly, the insolent Goa government had to be warned by the Supreme Court and the Law Secretary of the Goa Government had to eat humble pie and resign as the Election Commissioner. Now, Goa is under serious Second Wave of Covid-19 and the headless Captain of Port has started constructing a building in the River Mandovi. By bringing labourers from Maharashtra COVID-19 cases increased at the Captain of Port Jetty
It is sad and stupid as to how CoP could defy safety guidelines not only against Covid safety protocols and environmental laws and usher mgirants to work in construction activity.
The CCP has been ignored and left to handle the deleterious activities of the under water construction in River Mandovi. CCP must act against CoP and our MLA must stall and not undermine the damage the Captain of Ports in Goa is doing to the residents of Panjim. The Panjimites seem to be left at the mercy of the casino lobby and the port controlling authorities who treat the CCP as a lame duck. Instead of the Note to Vote, our vote for a Note in our concluded CCP election resulted in Covid-19 cases rising steeply in Panjim.
Wake up the MLA of Panjim, wake up your CCP newly elected corporators and save Panjim from the imminent disaster of the city with the people under seize by the casino lobby with the commercial coal and chemical mafia which soon would make hay whilst the residents reel and rave under the ills of Covid-19 and other pandemics to follow.
The severe destruction by Captain of Ports, would destroy Goa for eternity.
(The writer is a retired University Professor and an environmental activist.)
