------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRI Continental Film Festival - Dona Paula, Goa, Sep 28 - Oct 2, 2007
http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricontinental/tricon.htm For public viewing. Registration at The International Centre Goa. (Ph: +91-832-2452805 to 10) Online Media Partner: http://www.GOANET.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To Goanet - This morning I met the Mayor of Panjim, Shri Tony Rodrigues, and drew his attention to some of the problems the city currently faces on account of the ghati invasion. I handed a letter to him as as well to Elvis Gomes, the city Commissioner. The following five concerns were highlighted: 1) Ghati encroachment of city spaces & footpaths, illegal hawking on pavements, setting up of paan stalls etc. These activities have spread to most of the city including Miramar. 2) The riverwalk has been turned into a public bathroom by the ghatis. Gangs of ghati men congregate and loiter from late evenings until into the night rendering the areas unsafe, especially for our women and children. [I have already written on this topic, how they seek to turn Goa into a heap of garbage just like it is "back home" whether in Karnataka, Bihar or UP] 3) Ghatis have now taken to assembling under bus stop shades at various points in Panjim from late evenings, using the benches there as a den for chatting, smoking, spitting etc. These are not ghati passengers awaiting the arrival of a bus. These are loiterers, and this nuisance has to stop immediately. I spoke to a Goan lady yesterday at a bus stop. She said she no longer feels safe at these shades with these ghati men milling around. 4) Bhelpuri stalls along the riverwalk have multiplied rapidly. They contribute in no small measure to the litter and trash. The handling and disposal of food are unhygienic. And equally crucial, these ghati-run stalls encourage congregations of fellow ghatis. 5) The tourist season will shortly get underway and busloads of Indian tourists will come, park their buses/cars, and use Miramar as an outdoor toilet. The CCP has to ensure that our city is no longer used as a trash bin by Indians (not particularly renowned for their civic comportment). The Mayor said he would look into it. The Commissioner was receptive when I spoke to him on the telephone. But an isolated letter here, a sporadic protest there, won't amount to much. A large number of Panjim residents must demand action from the Mayor and his administration for surely there are vested interests sheltering the ghatis. Likewise, villagers must question their Panchayats - ghati hawkers, squatters and encroachers are not a Panjim-only problem. The choice is stark. Either we live the civilized existence we have enjoyed for so long or we let the ghatis turn Panjim - our beautiful Panjim - into another sewer of an Indian city. Warm regards, r
