I’m a full supporter of the government’s dream to make Goa’s agricultural produce a brand name.
We need to declare Goa a tourism State, and work to this end – as this State is now more than ever a tourism hub. If Goa is going to excel as a tourism hub, and locals and not out-of-state stakeholders are going to benefit from it, we need to make some serious changes. Every fruit and vegetable market in Goa should have a space for grown-in-Goa chemical free agricultural produce, and every food item, including local fish, be given a pride of place in the village market.
If Goa is going to excel as a tourism hub, and locals, and not out-of-state stakeholders are going to benefit from it, we need to make some serious changes. Hotels and restaurants should be encouraged to buy local chemical free produce. All this will be good for the local economy, and Goan identity. Pollution is a major problem in Goa today. Obstacles in the path need to be eliminated to keep our air and soil and water from getting destroyed. A lot of pollution is already history but we do not have to accept it as a fait accompli, and something we have to live with forever.
We can undo it. Take coal pollution and dust pollution in Vasco; we can get rid of both. The dust pollution is a simple matter; the coal pollution is a danger to the health of the people who live in the port town. Do we put profit above the value of human life? Goan life?
We have to undo all the negative work of previous governments, and not engage in finger-pointing. Our river pollution is shocking! What’s the point in blaming the casinos or hotels or the governments of the past for not getting our priorities right? Let’s get them right from now on!
We want a Goa which is run on clean energy so people from all over the world can visit because it is comfortable as well as a place to get well because of a healthy environment with a lot of greenery.
People who live in Goa will not be against it. Add, Goan friendliness and a liberal attitude to the mix, and we have a win-win situation.
Everyone should be anti-pollution, and people who are against pollution should be declared true sons and daughters of the soil. Polluters, businessmen and politicians, who are not against pollution are traitors, nothing less. We need to encourage local innovation and creativity.
When I’m asked how Japan is, as I used to live there as compared to India I tell the questioner it is no different as I use a lot of the same Japanese technology here in Goa which I used in Japan. They look disappointed, and so I say something like how much I miss sushi – and in no time – I’m informed how we can get it in India, and Goa, too. So, what’s the point in visiting Japan I ask them?
The government has to support indigenous Goan products in the agricultural, hotel, crafts, and other sectors as long as it is non-polluting.
A special Think Tank needs to be set up and this has to be done immediately as Goa is slipping in reputation, and in reality, too. We have a great number of people who have the good of Goa at heart and who are knowledgeable. If only we can work together, then we cannot fail.
