An eerie silence prevails among the villagers of Chinchinim on the eve of the
Feast of Mount Mary ((which will be celebrated tomorrow Sunday, 14th September,
2008, ) when this writer visited the village this evening.
The usual activity of setting up stalls was missing. There was a Goa Armed
Police van with armed policemen near the Church. In front of the cemetry were
several migrants waiting some of them from Orrissa and Karnataka to put up
their stalls the merry-go-round the mobile icecream van -Karavali from Karwar
was also trying to park itself just outside the front of the cemetry. There
were groups of Goans discussing just near to a police patrol van. The
intermittent rain and dry spells provided a dampner to the activities.
That there was trouble brewing in the village, was quite evident.. The All
Goa Carpenters Association around 31 members some of whom are outsiders as
well did not take kindly to the decision of the Fabrica not to allot them
the ground in front of the Church this year.
They cited "security threat conditions" as the reason for the same.
However according to one member of the Carpenters who spoke to this writer but
refused to divulge his name insisted that they had traditionally occupied the
place and it was not proper for the Committee to allow the garment vendors in
their place. When asked whether the members were all Goans from Benaulim as
made to believe he admitted that there were outsiders who have been with them
for long in the trade.
They also contended that the nearly 2000 m2 land that was specially prepared at
the cost of about Rs, 50,000 just behind the church was not acceptable to
them., as they complained that the unprecedented showers would not be
convenient to transact their routine business. Alternatively they were offered
the place near the Chinchinim Post office just near the ancestral house of one
Valentino but even this did not appeal to them. The last alternative given to
them was on either sides of the road which has recently been widened from the
St Sebastian Chapel upto the cemetery. But the carpenters would have none of
it.
True there are a number of outsiders as well trading in the wood products
amongst them but they were cheesed off by the attitude of the Fabrica for
having permitted the garment vendors almost all two hundred stall owners
being outsiders, to be allowed to take their place.
As the stalemate continued today afternoon the Fabrica and the Committee of
Carpenters besides the Chinchinim Citizens forum were called for a
rapproachment before the SP Mr S Prabhudesai and the Deputy Collector and SDO
SD Margao Mr Dipak Dessai (who has since received orders for his transfer to
Quepem taluka) at Margao at 1435 hrs to broker a solution to the problem
However according to Fr Armando De Souza of Saligao the Parish Priest of Our
Lady of Hope (who has taken charge just over a year ago ) who spoke to this
writer late evening via telephone +91 0832 2863373 (as he was busy with the
church services and other arrangements for the Feast earlier) he said that --
the Fabrica had also agreed to shift the garment vendors away and leave the
front of the church only for traditional sweet meats, and other stalls like
grams etc on the eastern side of the Church near the Dr Loyola Furtado house
etc. But with the adamant attitude of the Carpenters association who bluntly
insisted on nothing short of the same venue there was a stalemate.
Eventually according to Fr De Souza the All Goa Carpenter's association have
indeed decided to boycott the Feast fair. But there was a rider to it . Some
groups of persons moved to threaten other stall owners not to set shop. The
outsiders were indeed terrorised and for fear that they may have to face dire
consequences elsewher preferred to allow frayed tempers to settle and they
moved away from the venue.
This however infuriated the villagers of Chinchinim who felt that their
traditional festivites were being marred by a few from Benaulim. When this
writer spoke to one Fulao Cardoz he appeared a little surprised at the adamancy
of the Carpenters.
When asked why the preference was given to outsiders dealing in garments in
their (carpenters ) place he said it was these garment vendors that were most
visited by the people and therefore they were given the front of the Church.
Fr De Souza also expressed the same views later.
But then this clearly defeats the "security threat perception" as in the event
of any untoward incident there would be utter chaos and confusion confounded
because of the wall constructed around the play ground on 11th March, 2008.
Incidentally just as this writer was doing the rounds in the venue there were
reports of terrorist attacks in New Delhi at around 1824 hrs ( sms received
from NDTV ) and people in shops began to watch the TV causing further tension
in the area.
Later this writer also spoke to the Sarpanch Mr Alwyn Antao 9822134560 for his
views. He felt that once given the offer by the Fabrica before the Deputy
Collector & SDM and SP South Goa District to shift both the garment vendors
and the carpenters there ought to be no cause for tension. But a hardline
attitude by the carpenters insisting on the same place was not feasible.
However he felt that the villagers would not take kindly to any one disrupting
the Feast for the fair was a consequence of the Feast and not the other way
round. He also felt that in future it would be ideal to restrict the Fair to
only the traditional vendors and have none of the other activities. He
preferred that the traditional feast and fair that accompanied such festivities
was losing its old charm and we need to go back to those days..
When this writer spoke to a senior citizen at the Church portico he expressed
disgust at the type of vendors that have invaded the village. He pointed out
to show how some vendors mostly migrants were seen urinating in the nearby
fields in the open others were cramped within the tiny make shift stalls. He
wondered that in the event of power failure there could be opportunity for pick
pocketers and thieves.
When brought to his notice that a local cable networks was providing extensive
CTV coverage to monitor the movements of people, he laughed sarcastically
stating that the spate of robberies witnessed within the State and in Salcete
reflected the involvement or lack of supervision by the Police .
However as things stand there will not be almost just a few traditional stalls
for the Fair that follows tommorrow.
Fr De Souza also informed that the festivities would go on; as the Police have
ensured that all measures are put in place to ensure that those that put up
stalls will not face any trouble within the venue alloted to them. A Police
official also confirmed to this writer that they have been given strict orders
to see that the traditional festivities were not infringed by undesirable
elements.
The villagers too have decided to accept whatever decision the Fabrica takes in
the matter
and the Fabrica has assured to return all the fees collected between 14.08.2008
to 25.08.2008 to those who applied for but are unable to set shop owing to the
surcharged atmosphere.
Meanwhile some villagers expressed resentment over the spate of commotion being
created. Earlier they claimed that there was an installation of Ganesh pandal
near the Church just in front of the Dr Loyola Furtado house. This even though
there is just a miniscule population of Hindus in the area and they themselves
did not approve of such pandal as they expressed that the communities were
living in cordial harmony for centuries. Mr Antao when quizzed to affirm this
sentiment admitted that permission was indeed given at the request of some but
no written permission and it was only for a day and half . He admitted that
they were told in clear terms that villagers at large would not tolerate this
in the future as it would disturb the services in the Church which was agreed
by the fellow bretheren to maintain the communal harmony.
from the Chinchinim end
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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