GOA PEOPLES ASSEMBLY IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS HAPPENNING FOR GOANS AND THANKS
TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE THIS HAPPEN .
OUR SINCERE BEST WISHES AND THANKS TO ONE AND ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN GPA...PLS
CONTINUE. WE SUPPORT YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
MARIO ANDREW RODRIGUES
DUBAI
> Message: 5> Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:45:41 -0700 (PDT)> From: "Rajan P.
> Parrikar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> Subject: [Goanet] Photos of Goa People's
> Assembly in Panjim (Monday,> June 16, 2008)> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii>
> > To Goanet -> > A few photographs of the Goa People's Assembly held> this
> evening (Monday, June 16, 2008) at Hotel Mandovi> in Panjim. Speakers came
> from as far as Khola and> Agonda in Canacona. > > Adolphine Thamm from
> Sinquerim -> > http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/adolphine.jpg> > >
> Norma Alvares of the Goa Foundation-> >
> http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/nalvares.jpg> > > Rajendra Kerkar,
> environmentalist -> > http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/rkerkar.jpg> >
> > Savida D'Souza reading out message from Wendell Rodricks -> >
> http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/savida.jpg> > > Matanhy Saldanha's
> was a fervent address -> > http://www.parrika
r.org/images/Assembly/matanhy-1.jpg> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/matanhy-2.jpg> > > Hema Sardesai -> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/hema.jpg> > > Remo Fernandes -> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/remo-1.jpg> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/remo-2.jpg> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/remo-3.jpg> > > Representative from
Siridona village (sorry, I didn't> catch his name) -> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/siridona.jpg> > > Following the roster
of invited speakers, we had an> Open Forum. Several members of the audience>
came up and had their say. Some of them are> seen below.> > Dr. Ajit Shirodkar
-> > http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/ajitshirodkar.jpg> > > The Lion of
Moira, Floriano Lobo -> > http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/floriano.jpg>
> > Lida Joao of Assolna -> >
http://www.parrikar.org/images/Assembly/lidajoao.jpg> > > Soter D'Souza
delivers a Vote of Thanks -> > http://www.parrikar.org/images
/Assembly/soter.jpg> > > Warm regards,> > > r> > >
------------------------------> > Message: 6> Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:18:35
+0530 (IST)> From: godfrey gonsalves <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> Subject: [Goanet]
HEMA SARDESSAI - THREATENS - FAST UNTO DEATH TO SAVE> GOA> To: [EMAIL
PROTECTED]> Cc: [email protected]> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8> > > > It was? an Assembly of a
different kind? not those that were elected ? first past the> post ? a la
Indian? near archaic> electoral laws.? But this one showed up> people? women
men and? youth, who in their own little ways has> mustered courage to avert or
stall the threats to our tiny little Goa survival? ?> construction, conversion
and mining.? It> was the brain wave of the Centre for Panchayati Raj ? Peaceful
society to host> the first of its kind Goa People?s Assembly in the confines of
the Hotel> Mandovi today 16th June, 2008 a dry day given tha
t the monsoon> lashed the state just over a week ago on7th?> June, 2008. > >
?> > In keeping up with the spirit of> the Peoples Assembly? none of the>
speakers for the day were seated on the dais; there was no lighting of the>
traditional lamp etc ..? after a brief> introduction by Mr Soter D Souza of
Peaceful Society ? an institution> headquartered in the Novas Conquistas of
Kundaim Plateau, the honours? went to the lone woman brigade Ms Elcy de> Costa
? she spoke of her beautiful hamlet Sao Jose de Areal just beyond Aquem> Margao
? surrounded by nearly 15 hills rich in basalt. But under the guise of> mining
and quarrying the over 75 crushers just 8 to 10 of which are legal pound> the
earth with extensive explosions and the result ? the grey dust adorns the>
houses of many.? It was an unstinted> battle; she moved the High Court of
Bombay at Goa> and got some reprieve ? but she blamed the local MLA the panchas
of the Village> Panchayats who permitted quarrying in the Communi
dade lands ? not so much to> meet Goas needs of infrastructure but their own
greed.> > ?> > Adolfin Than got the next honours> she is an activist of the
Sinquerin Heritage & Nature Club;.? In early 2002 when the Taj group ventured
to> acquire? three and half lacs square> meters of the Sinquerim Plateau she
with the help of the Parish Priest Fr David> Flinto posied questions which got
no answers from the promoters of the> Amusement Park.? It was intended to have>
a movie multiplex, housing project swimming pool indoor and outdoor games golf>
course.? Of the 45 families just one was> employed in the Taj in a menial job
which 15 years later did not offer him any> career progression.? For whom was
this> Park then; what would be the effect on the infrastructure the water
requirement> the garbage et al.? On that historic day> at the Azad Maidan in
December, 2006 when the Goa Bachao Abhiyan launched a> peoples movement ? it
was because such persons like Adolfin nursed the> oppositi
on to mega projects.. Ridiculed then for her forays she is today an> icon of
all such meets.? Yet another ?Sun> n Sand structure which was permitted for
ground + one as in case of all> villages in Goa until then this one beat all it
sprouted too high and almost> dipped into the 20 mts HTL of violating the CRZ >
> ?> > Rajendra Kerkar yet another one> man brigade from the cool confines of
the Western Ghats the Sattari Taluka;> bleeds over the imminent death of the
Mhadei (so called in Karnataka ? and> Mandovi river in Goa.? The Kalsa Bhandara
Project intended to> replenish the drinking water supply of Karnataka regions
ought not to be at the> cost of creating a famine in Goa.? It fills up the?
Khandepar river which in turn supplies water> thro Opa ;? Of the 11 rivers of
Goa this> is the lifeline just like the Zuari river which provides water to the
South .? But even the water at Ravan and Ram Dongor> seems to be threatened by
the mining rejects .?> Despite various statutory s
afeguards to mining in reserved forests the> other parts of the forest are
ravaged by the mining activity.> > ?> > ?> > Rocazinha Fernandes from Cola>
Nuvem burst in an emotive fear over the death to her tiny land; two persons>
consented to the grant of permission to the mining activity.. But for
Rocazinho> she would have none of it armed with the power of prayer she
alongwith others> prayed to Our lady and it was not a movement she said based
on a division of> communities ? There was unity among all Hindus Catholics;
some did try to> create a wedge they succeeded but not for long.?> When the
police force assembled and they were 150 in all against the> women folk she
says the power of prayer changed it all the local MLA> Chandrakant Kavlekar so
reason and averted a clash .. > > ?> > Norma Alvares the Padma Shree> awardee
and supporting the Goa Foundation in its 20th year of> existence ? found that
the issues taken up today by the Goa?s People Assembly> were their subject mat
ter ever since the Foundation set foot on this soil.? She was shocked that
even after the erstwhile> Portuguese regime had left the mining leases or
concessions are either in force> or revived from their dormant state .?> There
are in some cases entire villages viz Colamb which are have> prospects for
being mined.? The Ministry> of Environment and Forests ? gives almost 40?> to
45 clearances per day and the public hearings which have registered> large
attendance bears no impact on what New> Delhi does.? The> local Environment
body has not stake it just repeats the obvious once the> clearance comes from
the top.? Just today> at a hearing she was pleased that their Lordships have
instituted a committee> to look into the mining impact.? She> claimed that
there was one village in Sirigao where all 450?? wells were dry .? There was no
mining activity for last four> years.? Some of the poor villagers are> prone to
be reconciled to the fact that mining would mean a little acceptabl
e> degradation ? this is due to large funds thrown in to appease the vocal>
few.? Restoration of temples roads a club> a school could all make them look
the other way.? But will these short term measures not result> in damage to
posterity.? She? promised to provide all the research work> done by the Goa
Foundation and extend legal support to this Assembly to save> our Goa.> > ?> >
Suvidha D Souza spoke on behalf> of world famous fashion designer Wendall
Rodricks currently in Bangalore.?> Wendall stated that every other day a fresh
threat is upon us .? They have destroyed the coastline the hills> the water
bodies the streams ? its time we first put a freeze on all> construction
activities .. Make Goa a natural park fight the evil within and> outside Goa.>
> ?> > Mathany Saldanha the legendary> environmentalist of the early 70?s? of>
the Ramponkar Movement fame and the anti?> ZIL? factory? brigade besides being
an?? ex MLA feared most the imminent? depletion of the water resou
rces in Goa.? This is the looming threat owing to overmining> ? the China>
boom has put into action most of the nearly 800 mining leases.?? Another fear
is the Coastal Mangement? Zone the newest avatar in? place of the Coastal
Regulation Zone.? The arbitariness of the CMZ will empower the> committee to
ascertain the vulnerability of the intended development .? He pleaded for
Ground + one structures in> villages to maintain the rural ambience and Ground
+ three in cities in the> urban areas ? Hitting on another emotive point he
pleaded not to make religion> the raison d etre rather we set it aside and put
our heads together to save our> mother land Goa .> > ?> > John Marquis of
Siridao an young> activist was unaware of what was passed at the Village
Panchayat as regards to> the structure coming up behind the Jesus of Nazareth
Chapel overlooking the> Arabian sea and the Mormugao> Bay with even glimpsed
of> the Zuari river.? It was first believed> to be a residential project bu
t it grew up into a mammoth project .? It was then the Siridao villagers got>
together and vowed to strike. They had created a record? of sorts ? at a Gram
Sabha meet which began> at 1030 the deliberations continued until 530 almost
akin to a nonstop> drama.? They recorded the proceedings in> English read it
out? in Konkani and? minuted every word on one and the same day.? The next day
notices were to be sent to ?stop> work? forth with but the unscrupulous Panhas
worded it to read that the> developers seek the permission to proceed for
further works . This resulted in> an agitation and the? unity of the> villagers
remained the dominating force to arrest all developments thereafter.> > ?> >
Hema Sardessai the youthful> nightingale of Goa indulged in some theatrics> the
meet being informal ? she read and forced the audience to applaud with a> clap
each of all the resolutions --- > > ?> > Stop SEZ? by a written agreement> >
Stay on all building> constructions especially those o
n hills fields beaches and village areas> ?mainly if they do not destroy the
scenic surroundings> > Empower gram sabhas to resolve on> matter of
constructions sale of land> > Demand special status for Goa to arrest the
decline of our rich and unique cultural> heritage> > Stop ruthless mining of
acres and> acres of land > > Regulate building activity and> adopt
architectural designs in keeping with the ambience and surroundings> > No
foreign colonies, stop> paedophiles? prostitution drug abuses> which are all
imported by foreigners > > Stop promotion of slums as vote> banks and prevent
migrant workers from voting > > Constitute a body of eminent and> well meaning
persons who would have powers to issue stop work orders to> illegalities > > ?>
> If all these demands to not find> acceptance she would go on a FAST UNTIL
DEATH ? to wind up she sang a song> Bring light ---- Uzvadd hadd ..> > Remo
Fernandes the Padmashree> recepient to advocated the need to be prepared to
fight agai
nst the mafia the> 40 thieves.? He recollected his first> recording Goan Crazy
in 1983 with a Goan cutting a coconut tree.? He blamed Goans for destroying
their own> land.? He castigated the Goans who chided> him on various issues
this he said has been the bane of all evil .? Politicians don?t? know to rock n
roll was another diatribe> against this mafia.? Even when he pleaded> to invest
the same amount as spent for IFFI Rs.120 crores on better hospitals> education?
he was misunderstood as to> opposing IFFI.> > ?> > Dr Ajit? a member of the
Kokum Foundation suggested> that while we deter haphazard?> development he
suggested that we plant around 50 thousand trees of> Birand? at the Goa
University> campus .? If Goa> promotes Agriculture and Horticulture this is
sufficient to save our land.> > ?> > Mahesh Tulsidas Naik from> Margao? got the
crowd into guffaws of> laughter. He ridiculed the Patna Margao train but said
it would find political> support because we have in Goa an As
sembly of> contradictions one MLA pitted against the other. > > ?> > Dr Joe D
Souza an eminent> research activist and lecturer at Goa Univiersity was at
pains that there were> no takers for his proposal for waste management .? He
suggested a Botanical garden at the Reis> Magos fort> > ?> > Sailesh Pai of
Santa Cruz spoke of his opposition to the> Hara Project in Sanata Cruz> > ?> >
Shanti Fonseca of Assagao a Legal> practioner and child activist complimented
this Assembly and hope that the> various groups would come under one umbrella
for a better Goa> > > ?> > Floriano Lobo of Goa Environment> Foundation and Goa
Suraj Party warned the gathering that democracy ended once> the poll results
were declared.> > ?> > Manuel Caldeira? a resident of Chandor and convenor of
the> Goan Solidarity for Change presented two posters to demand a change ? most
of> what his group stood for was read out by Ms Sardessai > > ?> > Ms Lida
Joao? a legal practitioner from Assolma? pleaded to put a
stop to all the proposed> bridges at? Beanulim Sinquetim, Telaulim> Varca and
Assolna Cavelossim .?> These? bridges once up would make> the river open for
navigational purpises which would mean the venture of? shore based casinos and
would also destroy> the livelihood of the fishing hamlet at Assolna famours
for? shell fish etc.> > ?> > Many others who desired to speak> could not do so
owing to paucity of time.?> > > ?> > As a precussor to the proceedings> of the
Assembly a photo documentary ?The Rape of Goa showing the various real> estate
and mining damage done to our pristine territory a feature presented by> NRI
returnee Mr Rajan Parrikar? set the> right mood for the gathering.> > ?> > The
august gathering of activist> well meaning citizens defying political
affiliations was the main feature of> the meet.? There were activist from far>
flung villages and irrespective of their economic social status. > > ?> > The
meeting ended with a resolve> that Goan unity alone would s
pell the next course of action --- and action will> follow ? now not in the
confines of the Mandovi but on the streets of? Goa --- get set for the next
move ? it?s a do> or die .. that seems to be the underlying message.> > ?> >
When this writer sought a> clarification as to why the Hotel Mandovi was chosen
for a peoples Assembly the> answer given was being monsoons, the uncertainity
of power and the arrangement> factilities for screening etc? Hotel> Mandovi
took care of all that? relieveing> the organizers from piecing the nitty gritty
of such an assembly.> > ?> > Sidelights > > ?> > The gathering took the
organizers> by surprise being a working day the hall packed audience sent a
clear message> to our elected bretheren of the things to unfurl> > ?> > The
fear that political> affiliations would come in the way did not seem evident
prima facie> > ?> > The moderator of the meet Fr> Bismark Dias an activist
himself who left the shoes of UK to protect> the Fort at St Estevam ln
own as Ilha Verde ?did a fantastic job of restricting the speeches> not beyond
5 minutes.? > > ?> > The meet ended at 635 time nigh> enough to ensure
transportation facilities to those who came from as far as> Sattari? Caancona >
> ?> > ?> > > > GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,> > BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA.
(INDIA)> > +91 98221 58584 (24 HRS) > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > From Chandigarh
to Chennai - find friends all over India. Go to
http://in.promos.yahoo.com/groups/citygroups/> > End of Goanet Digest, Vol 3,
Issue 734> **************************************
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