<Today, a few sectors of the economy like manufacturing, IT, services and real estate sectors are considered to be the potential revenue earners. Though, they generate quick revenue, the cost of damage to urban roads, heritage centers, public health and diseases due to urban pollution, depletion of ground water, disappearance of open space, loss of tree lair, loss of city landscape, disappearance of green hills, rivers and lakes is hundred times higher than the revenue generated from a few sectors which give wealth to a miniscule percentage of people...There is always a need for a balanced growth of economic sectors. An urban centers, which should be a crucible of cultures, trade and academic pursuits, is controlled by traders....Chennai could not save its more than 300 water bodies in and around the city due to urban mess and forced public expenditure worth hundreds of crores on drinking water and desalination plants. Hyderabad has become a city of concrete. The concrete coverage in the city is ridiculously higher than any other cities. This results into drying up of water table. Rainwater does not sip into the ground. Rag tag transportation system in Pune forces people depend on personal vehicles....Pune can best address its heavily polluted streets by constructing cycle tracks everywhere on urgent basis. **Goa offers tremendous potential for all kinds of tourism, which can generate both employment and revenue more than the manufacturing sectors. The new industrial development plan for Goa will only destroy its vibrant natural sector of economy.** It is foolish to show urban dream to 100 crore plus people in the country as it's equally impossible for a few mono sectors to provide employment to such a huge population. India is blessed with many natural sectors, which could be developed to generate employment. The mad rush to urban centers will be stopped if villagers get good roads, water, health facility and good schools. Villagers' working hours can increase if there is a friendly police force, a fast track judiciary, road water and electricity. Village affairs should be run by villagers themselves and not by politicians. Asking the villagers to perform without giving them basic necessity is like forcing a castrated bull to produce a calf. The Urban Renewal Mission will be successful if people love their village again. Sudhansu R Das >
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20080217/1702302.htm A million kinds of tourism will still only be tourism, the monosectoral choice the guy is telling us to avoid. Keep everybody in Goa employed as cooks, butlers, gardeners, tour guides, drivers etc for all time. Bah!
