The Parliament Elections are over and the results has given the BJP a massive majority, and people waiting to see something good will come as per their election manifesto, or just another five years of promises unfulfilled, like the previous term wherein they promised Goans a special status for Goa State but nothing came out. On the contrary, the unemployment has increased, the tourism industry is badly affected. We have seen the influx of migrant people increasing.
As a result, it is a threat to our culture and identity. And currently there is no way by which the arrival of the migrants can be curbed or even slowed down. Goa’s past representation to the union government seeking special status has yielded no positive response, but the situation today has begun to spiral to a point of no return.
Goa is a small State as compared to our neighbours like Maharashtra or Karnataka in size and its population is less than that of a district of these States. As a result the carrying capacity of the State is limited, and it cannot take added pressure of a growing migrant population, and once the Mopa Airport is ready the population could be poised to increase geometrically. At the same time Goa has its own out-migration situation, as almost entire villagers are empting out as the youngsters are either going to Portugal, the UK, and Canada for jobs.
The most affected villages are Siridao, Taleigao and Merces, which are creating space for the migrants in the State.
In order to stop all this the Government and the society have to work together in finding some ways and strategies, that will retain the youth in the State, and limit the migration-out and in, so that the Goan identity does not get diluted. We should first accept and admit that the departure by lot of our people to the West is the first reason for the crises that we are facing. We cannot just complain about the arrivals of the migrants, when thousands of Goans are making a beeline to foreign countries.
If we are going to continue like this, one day Goa will submerge by the outside population, then special status is the only solution and we will have to fight back.
Time is running out, when the change can be reversed by mere amendment to the existing laws. At the same time practical difficulty of obtaining special status cannot be overlooked, as the union government would not like to grant this, to any particular State fearing their demands too, but as the years roll on, the options before the Goans are limited. This is what our State government must communicate to the union government when it presents its case for special status.
Goa is not asking for any financial package, but to retain its identity, culture and uniqueness, as we are struggling to remain in the society and not to get disintegrated, and the only way to survive is to get special status.
We hope our elective representatives, will forget their selfish attitude and their party they belong, but unite and fight to achieve what we want.
