From: b sabha <[email protected]> From: Roger D'Souza <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
http://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Will-Goa-and-the-country-learn-from-Chennai-tragedy/96467.html Will Goa and the country learn from Chennai tragedy? The deluge and the calamity in Chennai, have certainly shocked and saddened the entire country. 05 Dec, 2015, The media and the environmentalists have been unanimous in calling it a man-made disaster. Unprecedented and heavy downpour could have been caused by global warming, but knowing of such possibility, however rare it may be, it is imperative not to defy nature. Devastation of the city and loss of lives and property could have been minimized, had successive Governments showed more foresight and less greed. Filling up lowlands without proper planning, little or no space for storm water to drain out and heavy encroachments of the river banks were some of the major reasons for the flooding of the city. Illegal constructions, even of multistory buildings and huge industries added to the problem. This resulted in the disappearance of over 300 water bodies. It is reported that wetlands in Chennai itself have been reduced from 50 sq. kms to 4 sq. kms and water bodies from 650 to 27, most of these having been covered by constructions. The IT hub with residences mushrooming around it came up in marshy land and buffer zones. Part of forest lands were converted into garbage dumps. The Ambattur Lake has shrunk considerably. All this contributed not only to the floods but also to the waters not receding immediately. Even the Chennai airport was partly constructed over water bodies. Similar is the situation in Mopa, where around forty water springs will be covered. Floods in the recent past in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir have also been attributed to similar causes. We can easily draw a comparison between the irregularities and illegalities in Chennai with those happening in Goa, with the blessings, connivance and even involvement of the Government. And had it not been for the few crusaders, who regularly and selflessly, through courts, gram sabhas or agitations raise concerns over the ecological imbalance and destruction of the environment, the situation here would have been far worse. And yet the chief minister and MLAs have the impudence of questioning the motives of the Goa Foundation in fighting the illegalities in renewal of leases in the Supreme Court. Had the Govt. been really concerned about the plight of the people affected by closure of mining, it would have taken over the mines and ensured that the State and Goans benefited from this huge wealth now placed in the hands of few who pass part of their profits or loot to some political parties, including the BJP. But their concern and surprisingly even of the Unions, are the mining companies. Or else at least part of the losses amounting to thousands of crores would have been recovered to improve the economy of the State and of the people affected. Land is perhaps the greatest source of corruption and land attracts corrupt people. That Goa’s land and capacity are saturated has even been admitted by Parrikar himself. Ignoring the scarcity of land and his own assertions that no more land would be allotted to Central Govt. agencies, Parrikar wants to convert Goa into a defence fort by adding more land for DEFEXPO to the lakhs of acres already occupied by Navy and Army and conveniently ignoring the abuse of authority of Naval forces in islands around Vasco, often reported by the Press. Goa has given the Defence forces much more land that it deserved. If people want to show off their patriotism or secure their own positions let them not do it at the cost of the Goans. This Government has betrayed our trust. Even promises made in the manifesto and by the Governor on the floor of the Assembly that the Regional Plan would be scrapped, have been flouted to suit the ruling party. On Raheja project at Carmona, where access road of required width is not available, the Dy. CM-cum-TCP Minister asks the people to go to Court to redress their grievances. Should people spend on Court proceedings to counter the Minister’s and his Dept’s complicity and inefficiency? About climate change, India has only been preaching in Paris. In New York, the same Prakash Jawadekar, Minister of Environment & Forests, at the earlier climate summit had stated that the focus of his Govt. was “lifting India’s masses above poverty through encouraging economic growth and not protecting environment”. In Chennai, environmentalists have not spared the Courts which, they say, have often let them down. There have been attempts to dilute the powers of NGT. In Goa, both Parrikar and Parsekar, unhappy with the uprightness of NGT, Pune, wanted another NGT in Goa or our cases shifted elsewhere. This Government is bent upon marginalizing Goans and destroying Goa - both its land and environment for selfish gains. Parrikar himself is responsible for taking it on the wrong path because he places his Party above Goa and Goans and will sacrifice our interests to serve those of his party in return for the position he occupies. Goa cannot afford to remain silent when a tragedy similar to that of Chennai may befall us, sooner than later, from which we may never recover. God save the country from such calamities and the insatiable greed of our irresponsible rulers. (The author is a retired banker)
