Development for the people
Foundation stones were laid for a Ravindra Bhavan and an indoor stadium at Chawdi, Canacona, in the past week and it is certainly an occasion to rejoice given the paucity of infrastructure in this remote taluka.
Yet, some locals, former local government representatives and a former MLA have opposed the two projects since they claim these would create congestion in the heart of the taluka capital by effacing the only open space in the locality used for Shigmotsav, parking, dramas, school activities and rallies. They have also claimed that the open space and ground was used by locals and students for sports and instead of a birthday card they have dashed a complaint letter to the Sports Minister whose birthday it was and on which occasion the projects were flagged off. All this, despite the Chief Minister and SAG director vowing to oppose the open space from being converted into a concrete jungle.
In light of these assurances given by responsible people, development works for Canacona, which is the most under-developed of our talukas, cannot be held up. Particularly worrying is that the opposition to the projects clearly has political undertones. Development works for the people, especially with assurances to stakeholders that their concerns will be paramount, are to be welcomed. Otherwise, we will end up condemning a vast majority of Goans to a picturesque poverty.
Of course it is true that successive governments have shown a tendency to locate major projects in close vicinity across the State, which leads to mindless congestion and urban claustrophobia. In bigger talukas in Goa, there is ample space to locate projects scattered across. Secondly, these projects should always fit into an overall developmental plan for the particular taluka in terms of situating its administrative, sports, cultural, educational and recreational infrastructure. Third, these projects should ideally never be located on fertile land. Indeed, government projects have an added responsibility to ensure that our fields and agricultural lands do not become the casualty.
Most Goan towns after 1961 have developed in a haphazard manner without much thought given to long-term urban planning. Chawdi, for example, which is the taluka headquarters, has in the past placed projects like the BDO and other government offices just a stone’s throw from the centre of the town that has made it a haphazardly developed town without much of an unique identity. All governments after Liberation have played a role in not getting development right, and it is because of the pressure of the people that nowadays when important, much-needed infrastructure projects such as those announced in Canacona last week are undertaken, top politicians and officials give simultaneous assurances that these will be people-friendly and environmentally sound. That is good news, and all citizens must unite in ensuring that the development takes place and these pledges are honored.
We also have a constructive suggestion for the consideration for the two MLAs from Canacona, one of them being the Sports Minister ~ they should sit together and catalyze a future plan for the long-term development of the under-developed taluka which will benefit the people. In the past, successive MLAs, as is the case in many constituencies, have essentially contributed very little to Canacona. The people of the taluka are generally not very well off with very few income-generating activities. The major traditional occupations have been fishing and farming. With large areas under forest cover, and industrial estate with units such as liquor bottling, packaging, nylon fishnets, diesel gensets, cold storage and warehousing units providing few employment options, historically, many locals from the taluka have chosen to seek employment abroad.
The government has to generate employment options and ensure people’s welfare beyond the usual welfare scheme largesse which has been periodically doled out by various governments. Besides the coastal belt which has been under pressure from many interests local and outsider, now the hinterland of Canacona is also under siege. There are reports of large chunks of land in the interior being purchased by non-Goans, and we cannot blame the owners for selling their land given that is the only source of making money for them. Which is why, if we want to prevent Canacona from going the way of certain areas in North Goa which have been swallowed up by the second homes purchased by moneyed businessmen, film stars and other well-connected outsiders, we need politicians with foresight who can bring employment, prosperity and equity to the remote taluka which has been neglected for decades.
