Goans should oppose Mopa airport
Mervyn Lobo wrote :
The argument I just do not get is when someone informs me that, "My dad was
a rice farmer. My grandfather was a rice farmer, I am one too and so will be
my son." I consider farming an occupation on par with fishing and hunting.
It is an occupation that led to prosperous lives in the past. Today, farmers
face bankruptcy nearly every year due to vulgarities in the weather, high
prices for inputs and low prices for produce. There is no economy in the
21st century that is becoming prosperous because if its farming activities.
But should they not be allowed the choice of lifestyle in a democracy? The
Mopa people are traditional farmers and Dhangars or shepherds. THey do not
want to give up their traditional occupation and way of life. "Prosperity"
is a state of the mind. We see many millionaires and billionaires who never
think they are prosperous enough, but spend their lives trying to grab more
and more even at the cost of other people's wellbeing. The Mopa farmers and
shepherds are extremely happy with their lifestyle and source of income and
do not wish to be forced into another way of life. Neither are they
demanding that any of us or the state subsidise their lives and livelihood.
A thought for you - What do we eat when the last farmer, hunter or fisherman
gives up because of a system that we are imposing on the world?
Mervyn Lobo also wrote :
We are on the same page here. There is no reliable water or electricity and
the govt does not function properly. Yet I do not see anyone in Goa
demanding that their taxes be first used to provide the roads, water and
electricity that are needed for basic living in the 21st century. The money
for Mopa is coming from the private sector and from taxes collected in other
parts of India. That money is better than manna from heaven.?
How do you know the people of Goa are not demanding that their taxes be
first used to provide the basic infrastructure needed? The problem here is
the unhealthy and avaricious model of development that is sought to be
imposed upon the state. It looks only at GDP as the bottomline and loses
sight of all other dimensions of human life and development. And this PPP is
just another whitewash for one of the many land scams that Goa is reeling
under. 81 lakhs sq. metres of land have been acquired and very little of
this will actually go into the airport itself. Most of it is to be given to
private parties for entertainment hubs, casinos, hotels, skating rinks etc.
etc. You have to really live in Goa and study and analyse what the
government and their cronies are actually pulling off through these
projects. We had to kick out SEZs. Everything done illegally. One thing said
to the people and another thing actually happening on ground. A very strong
nexus between the lobbies and governments. Shouldn't the government explain
to the people why Mopa is so important instead of just deafening silence?
Especially when the people have made their case using concrete facts and
figures? This is a democracy and not someone's private fiefdom to do with
the community's land as they see fit without even trying to carry the people
along. The people have even asked the Chief Minister for a public debate on
Mopa.
