The fear of migrants dislodging Goans from their traditional businesses has returned to haunt the locals once again. Benaulim locals came out in large numbers at the extraordinary gram sabha meeting to raise their voice against illegal migrants and illegal businesses run by ‘outsiders’. They gave a clarion call to the panchayat to bring about systems and check the inflow of migrants. The turnout at the meeting goes to show that locals are indeed seized of the issue of migrants taking over traditional businesses. Likewise, fisherwomen from Vasco are agitated by migrants selling fish at various locations in the port town. Similar is the issue at Margao’s twin fish markets.
There are two sides to this debate. On one hand, the concern of villagers is genuine, Goa’s identity is certainly facing a serious crisis. Traditional Goan jobs are indeed taken over by migrants “ from selling fish to pao. The situation remains grim because there is a steady inflow of migrants and there are fears that soon locals in traditional businesses could well be outnumbered.
However, while this is being debated, Goans need to introspect and own responsibility for the situation. We have relied heavily on migrants to do all the menial jobs “ from pulling ramponn (fishing nets) to digging, excavation and maintenance works. Migrants have been engaged to do the dirty work, but locals don’t want them to encroach into traditional businesses. Goans have created tenements to house migrants ignoring all sanitation and health requirement, solely to rake in fast money. The enumeration and verification exercise has flopped because landlords have refrained from going through the exercise for the fear that their earnings may be exposed.
On the flip side, the political class, especially along the coastal belt is in no position to antagonize the migrants, especially the Lamanis who have made their presence felt over time. Some politicos have privately admitted that migrants are their guaranteed vote-banks, not the locals. With such kind of political affiliation, there is no way that migrants can be ignored or relegated from the broader Goa picture.
Around a good five years back there were village committees that were formed to keep a vigil on migrants moving suspiciously in the villages at night. Moral policing by locals has failed because there is a local connection to these outsiders and secondly there is no legal standing to such surveillance.
Resolutions at gram sabhas appear good on paper, and they reflect the angst of the people over the issue. But some of these resolutions will have no meaning before the Block Development Officer. The constitution too doesn’t prescribe such strictures on migrants in any part of the country. The definition of ‘illegal migrants’ is itself very vague leaving panchayats clueless on follow-up action.
