Team Herald
PANJIM: It was a silent victory for Panjimites, especially the residents of Campal, as they managed to convince Waste Management Minister and Panjim MLA Atanasio Monserrate to get the ‘Waste to Art’ Park proposed at Bhagwan Mahavir Bal Vihar relocated to Caranzalem. However, the Campal residents feel that the State’s capital city is being carved to cater to only ‘tourists’ by ignoring the citizens.
Looking for some fresh air to breathe, the residents apprehend that the proposed ropeway project from Indoor Stadium at Campal to Reis Magos, use of recreational areas and public spaces available for commercial-cum-tourism projects, casinos, floating jetties, among several others will ‘choke’ the capital city, which has already crossed its saturation point.
Herald spoke to a few Campal residents, who took a delegation to the minister requesting him to shift the ‘Waste to Art’ park elsewhere. They felt the park was a good initiative, but claimed that it would block public recreational space (children’s park/urban forest) maintained by the Forest Department.
“We are happy that the project is shifted from Campal but I don’t think that it is a good idea to take it to Caranzalem. The government can shift it to some land owned by it rather than disturbing the public spaces or recreational spaces,” Patricia Pinto, an activist and former CCP councillor said.
She said the basic idea behind opposing the park was that once ‘Waste to Art’ Park is built in lines with Delhi; the Children’s Park would be gated with ticket for entry.
“This means, you will displace people, especially the children from the park,” she explained.
“Is the government looking at projects with people and its citizens in mind or just tourists in mind?” Pinto questioned.
She said Panjim city cannot take more tourism activities as it is already a ‘chock-a-block’ situation.
“You shifted offices out of the city to Patto…you shifted schools to Cujira…to decongest the city…but with tourism projects and casinos, the city is more congested,” she said.
Another resident, Ajit Sukhija, said all the projects are planned with tourists as focus and people are kept aside.
“There has to be some public consultation before you bulldoze their spaces. The existing infrastructure cannot take more stress and there is no scope to further expand the infrastructure,” he said.
Sukhija said there is no parking pace, any scope for road widening and hence, we cannot go beyond what it can sustain. “We are not treated as citizens…we are not part of decision making,” he said adding that ‘no one is against tourism’.
Dr Lilly Sequeira, a senior resident of Campal, said, “Our concerns, our suggestions and our voices should be heard as citizens. If we allow things to happen by keeping quiet, it will be the residents who will stand to lose. But the question is also how long are we going to raise voices. It’s time we take some concrete steps.”
“Being a doctor, I am telling you, Panjim needs space to breathe…its people need to breathe,” she said urging government to focus on improving the existing infrastructure like roads. She also lamented the fact that ‘residents are becoming tourists in their own land’.
