It is an important year for the people of Urban Goa. Those from the capital city in Panjim and the commercial capital of Margao had suffered acutely as the city fathers have failed miserably and continuously. With Mopa on the fast track, Pernem, Mapusa and Calangute along with Bicholim are destined to be doomed permanently. With Goa heading to acquire the status of a city state, all the municipalities are facing acute destruction. The three linear projects are to usher coal dust and along with garbage and industrial effluents, mining rejects and toxic leachates would destroy our water table and quality of life, particularly in South Goa, but with Mopa, casino menace, garbage imbroglio and haphazard mining and tourism, North Goa is facing severe respiratory, enteric and lifestyle diseases taking the toll. The doom for the hapless Goan voters seems stark as all those who are elected by our sacred votes turn out to be purchasable commodities. Isn’t it a reality we voted for one party and the MLAs were purchased?
Our elected representatives are running with the hare and hunting with the hound. Look at our environmental scenario. Our MLAs tell us that they joined the BJP to protect the interest of their constituency in particular and the Goans at large in general but Goa and Goans are taken for a ride and for a song. Instances are numerous. I will cite just two. Babush Monserrate promised to push out casinos within 100 days but is now promoting the industry asserting that business establishments want casinos. The casinos destroy the peace and tranquility of the morbid residents with a plethora of urban woes – crime, traffic chaos, poor sanitation, noise, healthy wholesome sleep, etc. In South Goa, we have Alina Saldanha a bhakt who promised us in 2013 that if Modi became the Prime Minister, we would have special status for Goa, or else she would resign as an MLA. No project is in the interest of the people of Goa. It is sadly the business and corporate houses who are making hay and Delhiwallas are firmly rooting to make Goans strangers and extinct in their homeland. What are we doing? We are happy and delighted to be distracted by the Carnival, Shigmo and entertainment festive funds doled out to us. Drinking, dancing, dining and drowning in songs is all that most Goans care about. Goans are busy, engaged in ritualism expecting divine interventions. ‘Mhaka Kiteak poddlam’ is our mantra and we would again vote cheats and thugs to manage our economy.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
In Vasco in particular and Mormugao Municipality in general, coal dust and garbage pollution is inimical to the general health of the society at large. In Margao, the Sonsoddo garbage bomb is destroying the ground water and our research shows that leachates and heavy metals would clearly cause the physiological distress and kidney woes. In Cuncolim, the garbage plant along with the effluents of the industrial estate is severely affecting the lives of the Cuncolikars. Amusingly, it may appear, we will see manifestos for the CCP elections spelling out rejuvenation of St. Inez creek for the fifth time. For the last twenty years, we in Panjim see a recycled version of the manifesto with promises of a state of the art garbage treatment plant, end to the parking and traffic woes, clean air and green parks, proper sanitation, water supply, control of malaria, dengue, enteric disease and salubrious atmosphere for senior citizens. Like lambs in the slaughter house, residents continue to suffer poor healthcare, with our Corporators waking up to the election call of 2021 and 2022 would witness the Assembly elections.
True that Surendra Furtado as a city father was active and saw that Miramar wards which he represented were not only serviced by the funding from CCP but also he used corporates to take up social responsibility.
The tragedy for Goans and Panjimites particularly is Congress both as a ruling party in the past and now, as an Opposition has failed the voters miserably. The main job of the Congress is to fight defections of their MLAs in the Supreme Court. People tend to trust the Aam Aadmi Party as Congress showed it’s weakness by not fuelling and sparking of dharnas, morchas and public agitations against the cancer of defection and the serious social environmental and existential problems of haphazard development of casino industry, degraded St Inez creek and concretisation of parks through AMRUT funds are added woes of Panjimites. When would Panjimites and the urban Goans across 14 municipalities in Goa wake up to the distress urban Goa is under, is a million dollar question. The BJP not fighting the under party symbol is an excellent move to weed the parasites who have defected from the Congress and promoting Corruption and vested interests at the cost of people of Goa.
