To Goanet - JoeGoaUk wrote: >Rajan, any update on the PIL?
Yes. At the hearing earlier this week I was handed affidavits from the Tourism Dept and the CCP. Justice Khandeparkar asked me to go over them and report back with my comments at the hearing scheduled for Monday, March 24. I have said it before - unless the citizens of Panjim (and Goa) wake up to the reality and involve themselves, nothing will come out of this. A motley few of us here, Utt Goenkara there, beating on the drum is not going to cut it. Perusing the affidavits, it is clear that the administration has no real desire to solve the issues, they are simply doing the bare, bare minimum for compliance's sake. One of the most active encroachment areas is on 18th June Road, in front of shops owned by Yatin Parekh, who will soon be the Mayor. What a joke. The river promenade is now a ghati settlement - they may even claim rehabilitation if you ask them to get lost. The kulfi racket originates in Calangute where it is made by a UP fellow named Kusnur who has imported truckloads of young boys from UP to serve as his mobile vendors. The bicycles and boys are stuffed into a tempo each morning, shipped to cities and villages, and then let loose. There are now two rivals and more will soon be opening shop, but who's counting? These bottomfeeders will want to move up the value chain and there's plenty of room in Goa for drugs, pimps, prostitution etc etc. The paan stalls and the sugarcane juice stalls are most likely organized activities. Corporators, sarpanches, panches etc are all in on the cut. Meanwhile, empty chatter like the "contradictions" genius here is all most Goans are capable of. Warm regards, r
