Dear Sir, The Golden Goa or the Rome of the East as it was known, is lost forever and will never be the same. The ills of corruption are so deep down in our system and is like an epidemic affecting all section of society. Most have of us are shouting from the roof top on environmental issues but nothing has changed and I doubt anything will change if we do not take this corruption as AID's epidemic.
Tourism is our lifeline of our economy but see the way we take care of our surroundings. We have not only destroyed and degraded the forest but our beaches too. What are we trying to show case to the tourist? The bleeding hills and eroding beaches? The story of MV River Princess is classic tale of Goa's corporate ethics and State Governance. The famous Princess once donned the palatial corridors of the well know mining house in Goa. The princess started to lose its grandeur and sheen. The wealthy prince did not have money to pay for her upkeep and so he left her at the high seas to find some wealthier than him. Princess waited for 2 years and but no one came to her aid. After all who what an ageing princess? Deadly storm washed her shore and now she though there is glimpse of hope, a hope of her prince charming coming for her rescue. Little did she realised the so called Prince is nothing but a Pauper. Almost 10 years the Princess is stuck at Condolim Beach and no one seems to have any answers, people Condolim, people of Goa, Goa Government, the police and not even the Judiciary. Every passing day changes the topography of the beach. To date, the 240 meter long Princess has eroded 1.2 kms of coastline and more to follow. This has also proved an environmental disaster, affecting the seabed and threatening bathers. The amount of damage the abandoned Princess has wreaked on the Candolim beach is apparent to the naked eye but yet we are blind. Blindfolded with money and power. The inability to remove the grounded vessel has exposed the perils of mining in Goa. It has also exposed the corporate house and the political establishment. How much the corporations care for the social and environmental cause of the land. Money to them is paramount and no regards to environment they operate. In the power of corridors, the princess owners saved for themselves crores of rupees from this accident but the Goan Taxpayers will be fleeced of more than 108 crores on top of eroded coastline. National Institute of Oceanography had done lot of environmental studies on this case but has we the people of Goa learnt anything from this disaster is a million dollar question. Agnelo Pinheiro Raia/Dubai
