At the onset a full disclosure – this article is not about politicians in Goa or elsewhere.
Driving between Margao and Panjim, besides passing hills eaten into and the absence of any landslide prevention measures on them, one is accosted with what looks like road safety barricades emblazoned with “Today’s Pain is Tomorrow’s Gain”. It is very difficult to concentrate on the bad road as I am bombarded with many thoughts when I pass these signages. The first thought that comes to mind is that the signs and rudimentary safety barriers are a sorry excuse for a visible disinterest in public safety and comfort. The second is that there is someone, at this very moment, gaining from my pain. The third is whether I have become inured to this situation because I make no effort to avoid these trips or find another route. The fourth thought is about Goa’s condition when tomorrow finally makes her presence felt.
Roads flooding, landslides, people forwarding messages suggesting food and provisions be stocked up while others asking for suggestions as to how to get in and out of Goa is not what one expects to see from a State with one of the highest GDP’s per capita.
Sure, the intensity and ferocity of the rains so late in the season caused the mayhem. And therefore, the mitigating factor could be Climate Change. According to a 2013 Indian Meteorological Department report ‘The highest increase in annual mean maximum temperatures were observed over Himachal Pradesh (+0.06 Centigrade/year) followed by Goa (+0.04 Centigrade/year) post monsoon rainfall has increased here, while monsoon showers have decreased.’ But is it only climate change that is causing this situation?
Let’s return to the roads and their construction, which to my mind is emblematic of our overall situation, to come to a conclusion. Don’t the questions ‘do we deserve this?’, ‘are we worth so little?’ or ‘where are my taxes going to?’ cross your mind? But these questions haven’t transformed the roads, nor have they enhanced their safety features and we continue to use them there is no other option.
The bad roads ensure we spend more time on them and it increases our vehicles wear and tear. However, there is one silver lining on this dark cloud. Newspapers report a decline in the number of road accidents in Goa. Are bad roads and lack of safety measures the reasons for this decline?
We have become victims of our own apathy and lethargy. Thus, we are not affronted by the lackadaisical approach to our safety that accosts us on the roads. Instead, being juggadu we drive slower or begin our trip to office or elsewhere earlier. I am sure you are familiar with portions of the roads that remain potholed all year around, other parts of the road crumble during the rains. No amount of filling and tarring seems to be enough. These are man-made blackholes which are a drain on our resources.
Where does this complacency come from? Don’t’ we believe that our time, money, lives and the lives of our loved ones are precious and important? Shouldn’t we be getting more than this?
Is the ennui that has set in more to do with the realisation that seeking accountability will result in us being held accountable and that is unpalatable? Or is it that we and our society are accommodating and understanding and therefore adjust to such discomfort? We don’t mind becoming collateral damage because in the process we create an I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine permissive environment which allows us to be beneficiaries too.
A harsher truth maybe that we really don’t care. Considering the fact that we still refuse to wear helmets, which is for our own safety, even after road checks by the police is indicative of this mentality.
But there is another reality which exists, where accountability and concern for the wellbeing of citizenry is part and parcel of development. For all the razzmatazz of Singapore and other places India dreams of becoming there is an underlying philosophy which governs these places. There is an ease of living which is founded on not adding to the burden of a citizen’s life while cities are being improved. Last year on a visit to Singapore I saw a construction site that had installed vertical gardens to mitigate pollution. It came as a pleasant shock to see this. Singaporeans take such measures for granted.
On the other hand, for us in India, we willingly accept that our infrastructure will not be good enough; that during project implementation there will be hardships; that money will be siphoned off and so on.
It would seem that we do not value ourselves enough to expect the best from others. We are now caught up in valuing ourselves by constructing humongous statues or with International Yoga Day and with grandiose proclamations. Interestingly, none of these have made an iota of difference to our day to day life.
Why was there flooding, landslides, etc? Was it because of rampant urbanisation and therefore insufficient supporting infrastructure? Was it because hills are being JCBed to make way for roads and apartment complexes? Was it because mangroves are being eaten into as a land-grabbing process? And where were we in all this?
Our complacency towards our own safety and our predilection towards adjusting is going to come back and bite us. It may not be climate change that takes a mouthful from us.
It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. However, this needs to be updated and modified to ‘The roads to development and progress are potholed with apathy.’
(Samir Nazareth writes on socio-economic and environmental issues)
