For a citizen imploring the government or local representative to take a decision or requesting for an action can be either for personal benefit/need or for common good. Largely we have seen citizens coming together for common good and not for personal benefit. Now for the government and local representatives, there is never a choice to take decisions or effect action for personal benefit. It is always for the good of its citizens and its people. However governments, while having the responsibility to work for the welfare of its people, can take decisions that are contrary. Now who keeps a check on this? And who then needs to take action or make a representation? Obviously its people. It’s their right! It is their fundamental right to speak up, raise their voices and oppose any decision that may not be for the benefit of its people.
Since the lock down, many citizens have felt that critical decisions have been hurriedly, hastily taken by the government both at the state level as well as the center where people’s views and suggestions have not been taken into consideration. While the general public have been restricted from moving out, decision making has really gone awry taking advantage of this fact that possibly people would be restricted from doing anything or from taking any action.
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And one need not delve very deep to understand that these hasty decisions were taken with calculated intent and without following basic processes.
The Tanmar electricity sub-station in Goa in its application for building construction license is that for a residential house project. For a project that is connected to infrastructure, the due processes are many. An Environment Impact Assessment, EIA is mandated along with reports for feasibility as well as benefits to people. And most of all a supporting vote of the villagers or members at the local gram sabha is an absolute must. Yet the substation site was cleared of thousands of forest trees!
We all know about the highway widening and railway doubling projects and its impact on the Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park and Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary. The state forest department which has the protection of all wildlife sanctuaries in Goa as its primary duty has sanctioned the cutting down of trees and destruction of pristine forests that are already recognized as the top biodiversity hotspot namely the Western Ghats of India. Here too the State wildlife board members have already explained their disapproval to any destruction of these forests for these proposed projects. Yet the projects got sanctioned.
No land acquisition has been done yet and the Railway authorities are already laying a second track in many villages in South Goa as part of the railway line doubling project.
In spite of the villagers of Melaulim asserting very logically and exercising their fundamental right, that they did not want to give up their land and livelihoods for the IIT project, the government kept bullishly stating that the IIT will come up at Melaulim. Same with the Nauxi village marina project where the villagers have been opposing the proposed project for many years.
Farmers too have been protesting against land filling and construction.
Despite the large percentage of people opposing all these projects and the impending environmental destruction, there have been a few who have publicly voiced their support to these projects and their associations with the government are clearly visible. And thus their personal benefit too.
This is all happening in Goa. A Goa that is known for its natural beauty and diversity. A Goa that is also known for its peaceful citizens and communal harmony.
There are lessons to be learnt too from the Kerala floods and the more recent Uttarakhand landslides and bursting of dams with the bursting of glaciers. People died, there was loss of livelihoods and shelter. After this had happened, governments were forced to recall and acknowledge the warnings and recommendations by ecologists and environmentalists to conserve forests and limit environmental destruction.
The world today knows about the farmers protest in India against the three farm bills. Farmers across India are in Dilli Chalo mode! And more recently after Rihaana and Greta Thunberg tweeted in support, Delhi police arrested 21-year-old young climate activist Disha Ravi for having edited the toolkit used by Greta to tweet and mobilize support to the farmers protest. To have celebrities, youth icons, eminent citizens endorse a good cause or work as ambassadors is something that is very common. In contrast to this we have also seen celebrities working with affiliations to the government for personal benefit.
This is not the first time police have been used by the government to arrest peaceful protestors. We have seen many such instances in Goa as well as in India.
The right to speak up is a fundamental right. The right to oppose the government by way of silent protest is also a basic right. Using toolkits today is a blessing because they have factual data and valuable guidelines to get supporters together via the internet especially when going down on ground has become limited because of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. Disha did nothing wrong. To label her anti national is unfair. Many lawyers and a former SC judge has explained that Disha’s edits in the toolkit document has nothing seditious, incitement to violence or public disorder. In fact, the sedition law has been again misused!
How does the government misuse law? Why does the government need to misuse the law? Only when it is compromised for personal benefit. Not for the welfare of its people.
(Tallulah D’Silva is a practicing architect in Goa and has recently taught at the Goa College of Architecture as adjunct professor)
