Time to rise once again

A large number of our villages have got up from their slumber. One can see fellow Goans standing up and fighting to save their environment. They may not have succeeded to the desired extent but they have definitely helped to mobilise the usual fence-sitters and naysayers. The protestors have called attention to the wanton destruction of the environment, the lush green hills and valleys, the pristine waters, and the myriad flora and fauna.
I stay in the idyllic village of Chicalim, which was recently in the news for having scuttled the plans of some individuals and institutions to burden the village with petrol storage tanks, a fishing jetty and even a shipyard. This turmoil gave birth to activists who would have otherwise carried on with their humdrum lifestyles. Special mention must be made of the Chicalim Villagers Action Committee (CVAC) and the Chicalim Villagers Action Committee for Development (CVACD).
Eternal vigilance is the price one needs to pay to preserve our environment. But of late it appears to that the initial enthusiasm displayed by the above-mentioned organisations to safeguard the village is on the wane. How else does one justify the coming of a large number of flats and villas in an evergreen patch of land, right in the heart of the village, behind the local ice factory?
At the other end of the village, nearly 600 flats are likely to come in a single project. A look at the logistics involved should send a shiver down the spine of the residents near the proposed mega project. According to the grapevine, this project was initially conceived by a local developer, who gave it up after being confronted by hostile protestors. Now, the project has reared it ugly head once again. Rest assured that once this mega project is completed, none of the locals will be able to buy houses there, as all the flats have already been marketed outside Goa. The pristine beauty and natural environment will be destroyed and the damage to the village ecology will be colossal.
Wells in the village are being sucked dry by the hundreds of tankers owned, covertly or otherwise, by prominent citizens. Waterbodies are being given a quiet burial to facilitate the erection of concrete monsters. The deposit of debris under the cover of darkness is a regular exercise and before long you will have a fait accompli.
It is my fervent request to all activists to come together to help to drive away these unwanted developments from the village.