What do Goans actually want? Fr. Peter Fernandes, sfx.
Finally, the honorable Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat (O'Herald, Be positive on Development) has the courage to ask the public the most important question: "What do you really want?" This question should have been asked long ago, but all this time the cries of the masses fell on deaf ears. How ironic! Yet true. We were being led in the wrong direction by leaders who made a sham of their service to the people. The Chief Minister made it clear in his statement, that while under the guise of being faithful public servants, our leaders have been totally heedless of the needs of ordinary citizens. Now he asks, "What do you really want?" Goa should be an educational hub, having the best of universities, and engineering colleges, attracting students from other states, as well as those from foreign countries. Upgrade the present medical college, build the finest hospitals, and set up research centers, which will induce a needed boost to our economy, and bring steady revenue to the state, and employment to the locals. India is known for attracting medical tourists from all over the world, and Goa is an ideal place for recuperation and convalescence of those under medical treatment. Headed for such advancement and progress, our top priority requires that a stable, well-designed infrastructure be in place, generating adequate and efficient electricity and supplying a continuous flow of clean drinking water. Of equal importance is the transportation system. A sound and intact network of roads having four lane highways, and two-lane interior roads would have a major effect on reducing the accidents and fatalities, which bring sorrow to our families and scorn to our name. No less critical, is the need for a centralized and scientifically monitored sewage system, to ward-off the contamination of our rivulets, thus reducing the menace of mosquitoes. Public sanitation and well-organized collection of garbage and proper disposal of all refuse is vital for any tourist spot. Remember, there are thousands of Goans living in Diaspora, who are totally immersed in first world conveniences and comfort, receiving with ease the same efficient services that the governments of those countries provide for its citizens. Upon retirement, many desire to return home to Goa, but are reluctant, because of our failure to adequately and duly supply basic amenities. If said infrastructure is put in place, many of our brothers and sisters, who live overseas, will come home to reunite with their families. Such action on their part would help to negate the imbalance caused by non-goans in our state of Goa. The present scenario decries the government in its deficiency to uphold the family unit, which has undergone a dramatic change due to migration of our people to foreign countries. It is the moral obligation and responsibility of the government, to protect this basic unit-the family, which is the strength in the fabric that keeps a community together with higher ethical standards. Goa is a natural tourist destination, and beckons visitors' year around. To keep the tourism industry alive and active, an added feature, like a "Disneyland /Sea-World" type park would enhance the delight and entertainment of our guests. In place of a new airport in Mopa, build a Disneyland there. The construction of such an amusement park would benefit the state with increased revenue, and local employment at a higher payment scale. A Sea-World in the south would reap similar advantages. Having been blessed abundantly by nature, Goa has the ingredients and capacity to house a well-designed national garden- a botanical beauty, to showcase and exhibit the flowers, plants and trees that flourish copiously in our homeland. Let us offer the public a place of serenity and relaxation, and an opportunity to enjoy and learn about the natural beauty of our creation. Our rice-fields and farmlands are languishing for proper attention. At one time, these paddy fields laid out an emerald carpet of welcome to our visitors, and brought delight to our farmers. Now, the number of farmers is diminishing, and our fields are prey to ambitious builders, who want to grow concrete jungles. It is time that our government provides incentives to the farmers to restore the agriculture, as well as horticulture; thereby, returning vitality to our lives and to our environment. By the same token, enforce the three-months fishing ban during the breeding season to replenish the depleted ocean with fish, and revive the dying fishing industry. Goa has the potential to be the football power of the world, but we are not seriously tapping the talents. If world class academies had been instituted, with insurance for each player, India would have qualified to play in the world-cup a long time ago. Our budding athletes are slipping away to work in the hospitality industry, in middle-east, the west, and on the ships. This loss of sports talent is a shame. Furthermore, please extend support and cooperation to our "Tiatrist," who have maintained our traditions and kept our culture alive to date, by their sacrifice and hard work. Goans on average, have better English diction than that of the population in many of our other states. Call centers would have presented Goans with ideal jobs, if our government was, in fact, interested in provided such for our citizens. Investment for such a project would have been minimal; job opportunities for our youth would have been plentiful. We would have been better served had we not allowed such job possibilities to slip from our hands. "IT Park" is good, but before going in that direction, I believe greater deliberation on the call centers would have possibly demonstrated a greater economic advantage. And now, we look forward to global market, while our schools have changed their courses to regional economics. English is no longer being taught in the primary school. We are such wise fools! What we do not want is SEZ, lame industries, mega-housing projects, and the destruction of our environment. We do not want drug trafficking, casinos, rapes, pedophiles, gangs, murder, robberies, and corruption. Establish a strong police force, which will uphold the law and protect the citizens; keep lifeguards on every beach to avoid the all too frequent drownings of our visitors and our own people, and have restrooms on all beaches for public use, and parking space where people congregate. Keep Goa safe, clean and green! Had this question been posed years ago, and answered sincerely and progressively, the fabric of our society would have remained intact: the mass exodus of our citizens to foreign countries, lessened; the influx of the immigrants from other states, contained. We must not delay any longer. Now is better than never. Goa is calling! Those who have ears let them hear her plea. Her wounds are showing! Those who have eyes let them see. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Windows LiveT Hotmail®.more than just e-mail. See how it works.
