To Goanet - I have received a couple of private emails saying
what a great guy Dean D'Cruz is. Dean may well be a prince among men, he may well prefer Cheerios for breakfast, and he may well know Bach's Fugues inside out. But all that is completely irrelevant. In situations involving potential conflict of interest, it is proper to recuse oneself. This is a general principle, and should apply to everyone. As a practicing architect, it is a legitimate question to ask how the Regional Plan will benefit his business. The same should be asked of Ritu Prasad. If the consensus tomorrow is (for argument's sake) that all construction in Goa should be frozen for 5 years so that we can assess and reverse the damage, would an architect who will see a dramatic drop in his or her earnings support it? These are not issues you want a member of the Task Force wrestling with. Therefore, I say - Dean, Ritu Prasad and all the other practicing architects should step aside and not participate in policy-making. There are many other ways one can remain involved in saving Goa's environment if that is what one desires. Warm regards, r