Cuncolim prides itself as being historically known as the land of freedom fighters. However, fast forward to the present, the same area is in desperate need of attention from the local self govering body and also the government in addressing its varied civic related issues.
There have been calls for residents and local NGOs to come forward too and help Cuncolim improve its prevailing conditions. These unresolved issues have a trickle down effect and it is the locals who have to bear the brunt and manage their daily lives in the face of such difficulties.
It may be recalled that the erstwhile Cuncolim village, which was at the forefront of the Goan liberation movement, received town status around 35 years ago. However, locals complain that the area has not seen much development. This is not a new thing, they add, pointing out that right from liberation till the turn of the millennium, the area has been neglected. “Cuncolim has contributed and sacrificed a lot for Goa’s liberation but was kept in the dark by all the successive governments,” added a local resident.
While a section of the residents feel that former Minister Joaquim Alemao, who was ousted from power in the 2012 elections and lost the 2017 elections as well, brought about some degree of development work in Cuncolim. The ward-wise small community halls as well as the main community hall cum market complex, the garbage treatment plant along with the door-door garbage collection system, the bus stand, Hindu crematoriums , freedom fighters park and more have been attributed to the former MLA.
Sorry state of affairs
However, today, be it the Maddicotto multipurpose hall or the Cuncolim market complex and hall or the internal roads or the bus stand, all the projects need urgent repair and maintenance.
Many of the other government projects too have deteriorated due to poor maintenance. The all-important Cuncolim Chieftain’s Memorial park has remained incomplete ever after 15 years. Residents have blamed the Cuncolim Municipal Council (CMC) for failing to maintain the dignity of the place. The same goes for the Freedom Fighters’ Park near the Cuncolim bus stand, which has been neglected and is crying for maintenance.
“The local body has failed to respect our icons and heroes who have fought for ‘Swadharma’ and ‘Swarajya’. We have made several representations to the council to maintain the sanctity of the Cuncolim Chieftains’ Memorial Park and the Freedom Fighters’ Park,” said Oscar Martin’s, president of the Cuncolim Chieftains’ Trust.
Underperforming CMC
Sources at the Cuncolim Municipal Council have claimed that their coffers are empty and thus the delay in executing works. The government too has been putting the blame on the council for not maintaining projects such as the commercial complex and buildings constructed using the golden jubilee funds. Speaking about the economic capabilities of the council, sources claimed that 80% of the budget is used only wages and salaries of the staff. Moreover, there are various problems like huge outstanding of varies fees, rents and taxes. Local MLA Clafasio Dias, who had left the Congress and joined the BJP, has said that now that he with the government, all the problems will be resolved in the coming days. This is the assurance he had made to the locals who have been demanding that the issues be addressed at the earliest. “I will fulfill all my promises,” said Clafasio.
Anger against industrial estate
One of the biggest complaints amongst the locals is the high level of pollution from the Cuncolim Industrial Estate. Time and time again there have been calls for inspections and actions and previous reviews by agencies such as the Goa State Pollution Control Board haven’t brought about much change.
In this case, locals have pointed out that the then Pratapsingh Rane-led government had brought the industrial estate to sort out the unemployment issue in the area. Today, not only has the industrial estate not managed to offer much employment to the locals as envisaged, it has created more problems and there have been protests about the amount of water and air pollution. Blame has been put on the then Rane government for bringing power guzzlers and polluting industries instead of clean factories. The dream of converting Cuncolim into an industrial hub never materialized but instead, locals rued that the estate has destroyed the social fabric of Cuncolim by destroying the natural resources and affecting the health of the local residents.
Making Cuncolim an edu hub
The present government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has spoken about the government’s dream to make Cuncolim an education hub. On this note, the government has already handed over four and half lakh square metres of land for the setting up of the NIT complex at Cuncolim. While the Centre is expected to spend more than 500 crores for the same, it is expected that Cuncolim will be on the national education map through NIT.
However, educationists have also called on the government to pay attention to the local educational institutes that are struggling to extend their classrooms and meet their rising infrastructure demands. Currently, there are more than fifteen primary schools, five high schools, two higher secondary schools and one college. There are thousands of students studying in Cuncolim at the aforementioned institutes.
In the face of the five-star treatment to NIT, questions have been raised about the quality of buildings and absence of playgrounds and adequate halls for conducting academic and extracurricular programmes. Some institutes have also requested the government to provide government land at Panzorconi and set up a Cujira-like educational project. “We are planning to shift the college and want to extend courses if the government provides land, “said Chairman of Cuncolim Education Society, Dilip Dessai.
There have also been calls to raise the standards of education imparted in Goa in order to ensure that Goan students can get admission into NIT in higher numbers.
