Vanxim is a little island off Divar that is in the middle of a big controversy. A company bought over five lakh square metres of land in 2009 with the intention of setting up a five star resort. The sale of land was opposed by activists, on the basis of the fact that the land sold was deemed agricultural land. The hue and cry never abated and has increased as the Goa Investment Promotion Board approved the project.
On the ground though, the situation is a little different. The residents of the 100 homes on Vanxim have been waiting for the project to get underway. They see it as a beacon of light in the dark lives. For years now, they have been suffering, with poor connectivity, a lack of employment and poor economic status.
The roads and connectivity within the island is weak. There is no school, which means the children have to travel to Divar to study. All the shopping has to be either done in Divar, or in Old Goa and Panaji. This means the residents have to first take one ferry to Divar. Then, in the event that they need to get to the mainland, they have another ferry to travel by as the cross the breadth of the River Mandovi. Only one ferry operates on the Divar-Vanxim route. If it breaks down, and it has many a time, the wait for a replacement or repairs takes time. Students and Vanxim residents have remained stranded. The Hindus of the village have to ferry the dead in canoes to a crematorium in Naroa. There are no jobs and the agricultural land there is not really arable, after the bundhs broke and saline water destroyed most people’s chances of farming.
These people welcome Ozone Leisure and Resorts, who have vowed to give atleast one member of every family permanent employment. They will also provide educational facilities, free health consultation and other medical facilities, as well as waste removal facilities. They also plan to conduct restoration work on some of the religious and other important structures in the village. To many, this may look like simple placation but for the villagers of Vanxim, this project is a godsend. They will get jobs, they will be able to upgrade their economic status. In today’s world, no one can refuse that.
Of course, there has to be scrutiny to ensure that Ozone Leisure and Resorts sticks to their plan and adheres to the norms set by the Investment Promotion Board and the authorities, especially when it comes to environmental protection. There is a no development zone that cannot be touched, the plans for the bio diversity park must be scrutinised and followed properly. The building of the cottages and other accommodation facilities must be eco-sensitive as mentioned in the plan. If all this is done, then there is no reason why the project cannot be allowed to come up.
There are many parts of Goa that are in dire need to sprucing up, where the residents want to have better financial security for themselves and their children. The government is not always capable of handling this. This is where the private sector comes in and does the job. As long as the rules and laws are adhered to, there is no reason why development that benefits everyone should be stopped.
