I have decided to step in, of controversy going on between great giants of Goanet such as Jose Colaco,Stephen Dias,Augusto Pinto,Eugene Correia and Roland Francis. I may be an ordinary Aam Admi person of poor local family but I do not mind giving my side of comments into the IFFI episode whether it is a necessity or not for Goans to have it.
There were some points raised by two members, one doctor and another one is scientist of the above group, and gave me to understand that IFFI is not a MUST for Goans when Goa has no proper roads at Panjim ,Miramar and D.Paula and the drinking water is a scarcity from the taps of PWD only for an hour for the last 25 years as per the Stephen Dias, and Colaco says about the Hospitals, torn bed sheets, unclean rooms, hygiene, ( and I add to that a substandard food, intermittent electricity supply, unqualified doctors and nurses, no oxygen cylinder when needed, no medicines of life savings are immediate available, toilets stinking, no proper parking at the hospitals for guests, substandard canteen, any Tom, Dick and Harry entering into the rooms while the patients are sleeping specially carpenters, electrician and plumbers in the excuse of repairing their gadgets, such as telephone, replacement of bulbs, air-condition repairs etc) . If such infrastructure is not available in Goa, why the hell we need IFFI and by the GOD grace if there is some a real mishap Goa image will go completely down with these foreign tourists and delegates. There is no guarantee of Firebrigade, fire fighting if there is any fire. Do we require such events at the cost of our Goa to get funds? . Digamber, Rane Sardinha, and Parrikar say that we are No. 1 in the country, do we need to go down to No. 10? For Augusto and Eugene I must say in our home whatever we may be, we always like to invite people for wedding, festivals or parties/function when we all the arrangement are made according to our pocket and we do not want to get our guest to criticize later. Similarly the event of IFFI we know it is necessary but at what costs, no roads , no water, intermittent electricity and the generators cannot guarantee the proper voltage or load of the big event etc and you want us to get a bad name internationally or nationally. That is the reason the Govt or the Films division should see that the entire infrastructure is order and than organize IFFI festival. Today I came to know that K.S Kundu Director General of Films Division said at the Press Conference at IFFI on Sunday that they cannot put an exhibition stall (which is a nut arrangement) at the venue this year and ask for the excuse, since they preferred setting up of the museum on Indian cinema in Mumbai. So, you guys imagine the standard of IFFI is found deteriorating every passing year, and if it continues this way then even Indian tourists will not attend. That will be the fate of our IFFI standard in years to come. What we see a show piece of cheap quality which the organizers have put illumination lights on trees with quantity of series of lamps, fitted also on electric poles and we have stalls at the promenade of footpath along Mandovi which sells rubbish and not of international standards and who goes there are 98 % ghantis and few Goans who have nothing to do at home, and what you guys see inside the IFFI is a normal film screening by great personalities which is worth seeing and this can be shown at any part of the country and not necessarily in Goa although we loose our revenue at what cost, to spoil our name? Let us set well all of standards and then invite or organize IFFI . See what has happen at Think Fest , it has turned out into StinkFest and Tejal has spoiled everything and made a Mess of this name of 7-star Hotel at Bambolim by abusing/molesting? his own staff reporter? in the lift? Now it is reached to a higher level that is rape ? God only knows what is the real story , whether it is going political by Parrikar BJP and that now other organisations are amplifying and making it look much bigger by The Women Organisation in Goa and elsewhere in the country. It needs to be investigated in higher level by CBI as this kind of touching or banging hips etc are very common in today's world especially in dancing halls. But the name of Goa counts here at International level. Rolf Fernandes, Margao
