Loutolim, the home of the immortal Mario de Miranda and themajor tourist attraction Big Foot is the archetypical hamlet, which from a visitor’s point of view, poses to bethe ideal Goan retreat. However, the rapid growth of industry has taken itstoll on the village. The locals are now in the midst of a tussle to fight forwhat is rightfully theirs.
Recently developed housing societies are a problem for thevillage. Sidney Soares, a resident of the village, laments, “There has beenmassive hill-cutting in my locality for a housing project. It was done with thepermission of the communidade and the panchayat! It is indeed a sad day whensuch things are approved by the authorities even after knowing that our stateis already suffering thanks to borderline overpopulation.”
Perhaps with the spate of construction, one might haveforgotten the constant problem of the shipyards that the village has faced. Thebrutal murder of Baptista by a migrant labourer who was employed there broughtthat issue back to the fore. George Lobo, an activist from Loutolim says, “Theshipyards have resulted in the encroachment of land as well as water pollution.The migrant labour force they draw is another constant worry. Recentdevelopments have proven that. But throw the recent hill cutting problem intothe mix and this village is not in the greatest of positions at the moment.”
One must not forget the issue that plagues the entirecountry either, that of garbage disposal. Founder of Big Foot, Maendra Alvares, has been actively working towardsenlightening the village about waste management. “Bad habits die hard” he sayswith a laugh. He then goes on to explain that the major problem is a lack ofawareness. “We have tried to educate the public about vital matter such assegregation of garbage, and very importantly, re-using certain material such ascarry bags” he says.
But it is the older generations that are in the bestposition to judge what has been, and perhaps what tomorrow will bring. On thecurrent state of affairs in the village, Habiba Miranda, the widow of prominentartist Mario feels that perhaps the next generation will be the right people inpower. “While it would take a tremendous effort from youngsters, I can but hopethat the future will be brighter. The current sarpanch seems to know exactly whatshe is doing,” she says as she walks away.
