Letter to the Editor
Goans around the world unite. The time has come for all of us to stand up
(as one) and be counted. Indeed the apalling face of corruption in the name
of development has once again raised its ugly head.
We are at the crossroads of a period of immense change, and one that will
define a future Goa that we (as goans) will leave for our children.
Decisions we make will define how we want to live (and die) in this great
land we have for so long called our home. Do we want to end up as waiters,
butlers and barmaids serving our NRI masters on their annual trips to this
"promised land" or are we willing to fight these forces of evil from yonder
the border that have come to threaten our existence and replace the greenery
that we have for generations co-existed with, with concrete coloured boxes
surrounded by gates and guards and with access restricted to a priveledged
few.
I sometimes wonder how some of these people sleep at night. Can they
honestly look their children in the eyes if asked how this environmental
rape has gotten so far. What do they say if asked who was responsible for
this destruction in the name of progress. Do they ever ponder for a moment
and look behind at the Goa they are leaving behind for their children. Do
they never feel guilty of the legacy they have created for themselves, or
has greed blinded them so much that there seems no difference between right
and wrong anymore.
Indeed pointing fingers will do no good. To a large extent arent we all to
blame to some degree. Havent a vast proportion of global goans been lured by
the mega bucks of these developers that has prompted their sale of these
vast tracts of their "bhat". I guess any blue blooded goan who is willing
to die for his language should be equally concerned at the land that is so
fast slipping under his/her feet. Indeed for those who have had so much to
say about how and what we speak seem to be totally disinterested of the mass
scale transfer of land ownership from the Kamats and D'souzas to the
Kapoors, Yadav's and Desai's. Its only a matter of time when Punjabi (or
Gujarati) will be a strong contender for the official language status in
Goa.
The recent "Aldeia de Goa" development is a timely reminder of what we face
in the quest to preserve our cultural, social, environmental and historical
identity. We are being swamped by people who have never lived (and
coexisted) with a natural environment in peace and harmony. Indeed the
concept of development, architecture and habitat to these people is
generally based on the replacement of wasteland and slums with concrete
manifestations (pointing skywards) for confining the masses into an orderly
existence. In this world maximising "yield" (ie getting the maximum number
of boxes in a confined space) has been the sole motivator where profits and
returns on investments (including bribes, kickbacks and bakshishs) is the
only game in town.
Drive along Panaji and look yonder across the Mandovi and there scattered
amongst the greenery are timely reminders of the singular focus of the
architects and developers from across the border. Indeed selling the "goan
dream" has never been a problem for these companies. Like a Bollywood
blockbuster sold to the masses the vision is sold to the "nouveau riche" as
a place where all inhibitions are set free. Where the flat bloated north
indian businessman or the NRI and his arranged bride can find an arranged
house with a view to match and quite literally afford to dream. A
hillstation by the sea or so the ad says with a general in charge of
marshalling his troops to the wanton destruction of the landscape and
environment that has endeared goans for generations.
In the end what is being sold to these mugs is a "LIE". Aldeia de Goa will
forever be treated with the contempt it so rightly deserves, where the
inhabitants are neither welcome, lifestyle not invited and culture scorned
upon. These inhabitants will be treated as the pariahs of Panaji (and Dona
Paula) who have scavenged on the lifestyles of the vast majority to fulfill
the needs of a greedy few. At a time where global warming and climate change
has been a major concern around the world it is interesting to see what has
been approved in Goa in the name of progress.
The extent to which these "developers" have gone to fulfill their need (and
greed) is deplorable. Hand in glove with the help of politician(s) who like
judases at the last supper have betrayed the land that has given their
families and friends the lifestyles a vast proportion of the country can
only dream. In cohort with these clowns they have embarked on a period of
destruction and annihilation of the vast natural beauty of Goa.
In closing I would like to commend the GBA for making a stand. Thanks -
Oscar (and people like Mathany Saldanha and Patricia) for whatever its
worth. There are a lot of people behind you (and in particular present, past
and future Boscoites) we have never backed away from a fight and never will,
and the ground swell is growing faster by the day and support for you for
the long haul growing faster than you could ever imagine. You managed to
boot out one government ...the current one needs to be on notice. I do hope
this exercise does not get to the Bombay High Court which has a history of
approving contentious development applications and has been successfully
used as the default mechanism of these fraudsters to get projects approved
by using the weight of their wealth to "buy off" the best from the legal
profession to make their case and consequently favourable decisions. Files
will disappear, lies will be told, bribes will be dished out to get the go
ahead. Only those with the moral fortitude in their convictions will survive
and in the end the truth alone will truimph. We have to be vigilant to
ensure these troublemakers are not only chased out of Goa but have hefty
fines levied on them to ensure they think a thousand times before trying to
corrupt Goa again.
