Bravo Sanjeev ! I am sure every Goan who read your article is feeling the pain ! What can Goans do ?
I think we Goans should invest in Goa & give our hometown first priority. Also if a Goan is selling their property they should give a Goan priority. Your article should hit Herald & Navhind Times and should be email blasted to every Goan. Seby --- Sanjeev Trivedi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Goa, Goa, gone I > > Jug Suraiya - Times of India - 2 April 2006 > > > Last week when I was there, Goa whizzed past me. > Goa? Whizzing? How > could Goa languorous land of laid back socegado, > ageless as the > ebb and flow of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers, as the > subtle alchemy > of the rich, red earth which transmutes itself into > the green gold of > paddy fields and coconut groves ever be made to > whiz? I looked hard > at Goa. The landscape of crescent moon beached and > peppermint > churches and tiny villages punctuated with the > curled-up commas of > sleeping dogs was as serene and still as always. > What was whizzing > about were people. Not the local people, the Goans, > who looked on > this untoward activity with bemusement, but people > from outside who > were in a great rush the great Goa land rush. The > property market, > booming all over India, has gone ballistic in Goa. > Everyone seems to > want a piece of the place. Buyers from Delhi and > Mumbai and Mohali > and Ahmedabad are pouring in on a frantic buying > spree, an invading > army bent on a second liberation of Goa from the > Goans. The motto > seems to be: If it doesnt move, grab it quick > before someone else > does. > > A holiday villa or even a two-bedroom apartment > in Goa is the > next thing you buy after youve bought your iPod. > Its a question of > peer pressure. Everyones got one, so how can you be > the only > exception? Forget politics or globalization or > climate change. The > major indeed the only topic of discussion in Goa > is property > prices. Dona Paulas going for between Rs.8000/- and > Rs. 18000/- a > square meter, depending on the view. Or rather, Dona > Paulas already > gone for that price, and is totally sold out. So how > about Porvorim, > where you can still get something for round about > 3500/- a meter? > Everyone hares off to Porvorim, causing traffic jams > and the prices > to jump even higher. Someone mentions a rumour of a > German selling a > bungalow in Asagaon and theres a general stampede > for Asagaon. But > the Germans bungalow has already been snaffled by > one Mr. Ashok from > Dilli, so everyone heads hopefully for Ribander > where a new highways > been built, Therere no regular water connections in > Ribander yet. > But what the heck. Its got a view. And you can get > a piece if it for > 2000/- bucks a meter. How can you go wrong? Whats > fuelling the > upward drive of property prices is that apart from > Indians, > foreigners are also buying into Goa, drawn by its > redolence of > residual Europe. Almost everyone speaks English, > they have > recognizable names like Fernando and Isabelle, > there are hardly any > beggars, the booze is cheap and plentiful. Its > India without the > Indianness. Heaven should have it so good. Property > consultant Alan > Viegas tells me that foreign nationals are entitled > to buy property > either by staying for more than six months and > claming resident > status or by forming a façade company which enables > them to acquire > immovable assets as a corporate entity. > > Goa is selling like hot Vindaloo. And pretty soon > therell be no > more of it left to sell, or to buy. And when that > happens, Goa will > stop being Goa and become something else. Like > Ghatkopar, or Brixton, > or Greater Kailash III, as a Dilliwalla remarks. > Already Baga and > Calangute look like Lajpat Nagar market. Or > Chowpatty on a public > holiday. Goa? Gone, or almost. The thought saddens > me for a moment. > For when Goa stops being Goa, what will the Goans > do? Rent the place > back from the new owners? My regret is fleeting. > For it is soon > overtaken by a further by a further reflection. > That, for all the > pomp and circumstance of title deeds and legal > documents and claims > of proprietorship, were all of us just short-term > tenants, whose > tenure is at the sufferance of an infinitely > munificent, infinitely > indulgent landlord who created it all to begin with. > Not just Goa but > everything else as well, sea-facing view and all.> _______________________________________________ > Saligao 403511 website http://saligao.goa-india.org > Saligaonet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.goacom.org/mailman/listinfo/saligaonet > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Saligao 403511 website http://saligao.goa-india.org Saligaonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goacom.org/mailman/listinfo/saligaonet
