Rajan P. Parrikar wrote: There is a thing or two we Goans ought to learn from the Swiss. Both the places are major tourist destinations but the Swiss just do it much, much better.
The Swiss have an admirable policy, albeit unwritten and unsaid, towards the visitors: "We want your money but we don't want you (to stay on). Spend your tourist dollars/francs here, but go home, the sooner the better." ... The policy for the Indian tourist should be different, to wit: don't come, stay back and foul up your own home -- Frederick [FN] Noronha responded: What we also need to obviously learn is (i) how to keep their country very clean, while sending their Ciba Geigys to be built on Church land and (ii) how to live affluently after harnessing the wealth of dictators from the Third World in a very spiritual manner. jc's response: FN's response - while being accurate - addresses a point quite different from the point Rajan is making. >From his writings, it is quite clear that Rajan is (justifiably) disgusted with the filth which has overcome his motherland. (Ours too). Rajan makes some very valid points. I submit however that Goa will not be able to utilise the "Swiss" model. The Swiss policy, which Rajan refers too, relates to foreign tourists. There is no legal manner in which that policy can be applied to Indian tourists in Goa. As far as I am concerned, as of Dec 19, 1961 - Goa is their home too! Should existing laws wrt cleanliness etc be applied and enforced? Sure. Should further legislation be enacted if necessary? Sure. But how many non-corrupt persons do we have to enforce those laws. Besides - the door to the pollution of Goa was opened in the 1960s by the Bandodkar Govt. That Govt brought in a seriously polluting Agro-Chemical plant and allowed an accompanying "slum" which BTW has a good chance of taking over Vasco. (Have you heard about the "truck method" of grabbing land ? Ask and I will provide you with the details) Then - there was META. I suspect that the clock can never turn back now. One may delay the inevitable - cannot see how Goans can do any different than try apply some band-aids to this problem which some of us have been complaining about in Goan cyberspace for at least 13 years! just my view jc THE BIG LET DOWN: http://www.colaco.net/1/letdown.htm META: http://www.colaco.net/1/META.htm
