On Saturday Goa Environmental Action Group (G.E.A.G), through Floriano
Lobo, made an impassioned call (ALL IN CAPS!) to like minded people to
protest outside the Mariott in front of the IFFI dignitaries who had come
down to inspect the progress of the work.
I think they should have clarified exactly what the protest would be about.
If it was regarding the callous and autocratic way that the CM is
railroading the entire IFFI process then I would be glad to join the
protest. But the other areas need to be examined.
To quote Florian:
REMEMBER, THE CITY OF PANJIM, THE MANDOVI RIVER, THE AGE OLD RAIN TREES,
THE CAMPAL FOOTBALL GROUND WILL LOVE YOU FOR CARING.
1) The rain trees are not 'age old'. The oldest of them will not even be 60
years old. They are not part of our natural bio-diversity and are not
native to this area. I live in this area. I see the heavy traffic everyday.
I think we need a broader road. If a few trees have to be cut - so be it.
As long as more trees are planted in the immediate area to keep the
ecological balance.
Why is everyone blind to the fact that it is the few residents/businessmen
along the Bal Bhavan to Miramar circle stretch who are manipulating the
whole situation to their advantage. They have signed agreements that they
would keep 15 meters for future road broadening. Now they don't want to
give back their precious roadside properties. First they protested the tree
cutting, because that would mean road broadening and loss of their precious
property. When a new plan was drawn up to broaden the roads without
destroying their trees they made an about-face and said, in many words,
"cut the trees if you need space for the roads, but don't take back our
properties".
2) The Campal Stadium was declared unfit and dangerous more than a decade
back. In the years since nobody cared a whit about this rotting stadium.
Now suddenly when the land is being out to some productive use everybody is
becoming very sentimental and shedding crocodile tears for this long
abandoned falling apart stadium.
Let's not mix the issues. Parrikar's pushing through of the IFFI at
breakneck speed without respect for the law is one matter, which has to be
protested against. But lets not mix it up with a sudden love for abandoned
stadiums and a few replanted rain trees. There are entire forests being
destroyed in the mining areas but our pseudo-environmentalists do not want
to get their designer clothes dirty so they choose the rain trees in Campal
that are more convenient for protestors - and reporters to cover.
Besides the Campal road broadening was planned long before IFFI.
Cecil
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