-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the immediate aftermath of the ugly Gowda-Murthy spat a couple of months ago, INDIA TODAY had a cover story titled "The Big Fight" in its Nov 7 issue. Here is an excerpt from the first page of that story:
" As with the rest of India, much is wrong with Bangalore's infrastructure: traffic jams, inadequate drainage facilities that saw floods drown parts of the city, and an airport that has been on paper for 15 years. THANKS TO THE UNPLANNED GROWTH AND WOEFUL SERVICES, THE CITY, WHICH HAS LONG BEEN ROBBED OF SOBRIQUETS LIKE THE "GARDEN CITY", "PENSIONERS' PARADISE" AND THE "AIR-CONDITIONED CITY", IS CLOSE TO LOSING ITS LATEST TITLE, "SILICON VALLEY" (emphasis. mine). Is a simlar scenario on the cards for Goa? After all, it is known as a "tropical paradise", it has a semblance of a "Europeanised ambience" and it is variously touted as the "Rome, Cannes, Venice, Amsterdam etc of the East". And , of course, its unplanned growth and related urban and environmental woes are becoming the stuff of legend. To revert to Bangalore, here is a description of what it looks like "inside" a campus gate viz that of IT biggie Infosys: <But inside the gates of Infosys, it's another story. It's like a fairytale trip to the first world. Armies of landscapers and maintenance workers keep the grounds' lawns, ponds, swimming pools, and golf courses immaculate. On-campus stores out of main street America sell the latest software, cell phones, and sundries. Employees--the average age is 26, according to my public relations guide--are encouraged to stay after work to avail themselves of Infosys' pools, gym, game rooms, library, and paddle boats. Buildings and plazas are modeled after architectural favorites of chairman Murthy--there's a fake Sydney Opera House, Louvre pyramid, and St. Petersburg fountains. It's as if Infosys has created an oasis from India.> http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2006/01/infosys_oasis.html Of course all this may be possible in a few hundred acres over a mere decade or so. Goa is all of 3700 sqkms and people become inured to degradation over time. Anyway, the handwriting may be on the wall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
