Goa is in for a change with the ruling dispensation taking massive strides towards what it calls development. The solar policy has just been announced and a first proposal has trickled in to set up a 2MW solar power plant at Katurli-Tuem. Also on the list are coal expansion, river nationalisation besides several ambitious plans that are slowly taking shape. Chief minister Manohar Parrikar has called for a fair balance between development and environment while suggesting that people should think before putting across their objections. On the other side, TCP Minister and Goa Forward supremo Vijai Sardesai has appealed to the people of Salcete not to object to every development plan.
While the development juggernaut is rolling, the basics of day-to-day living for the common man have been completely ignored. Take the case of Mapusa which is thirsting for water with several parts of the city facing shortage of drinking water. There is a drastic water supply cut of 5 MLD. Parts of Khorlim, Ansabhat, Feria Alta, Carraswaddo, Gaunsavadda and other places in that area barely getting water for their daily needs.
Successive PWD ministers have been promising 24-hour water supply but to no avail and water cuts have been a common feature. Salcete has however heaved a sigh of relief after the 25-km steel parallel pipeline was made operative recently. Canacona, which has been hit by water scarcity since the past few decades, also paints a sorry picture with people waiting in serpentine queues to avail water from tankers. Residents here are now banking on the 10 MLD water treatment plant at Panchwadi which is yet to be thrown open. Up North, Tillari project was thrown open with a green revolution in mind catering to a vast section of the farming community. Tillari waters however have been put to maximum use, but still North Goa continues to reel under water scarcity. This itself explains the gravity of the issue. Lest we forget, what happened to the ‘Nital Goem Nital Baim' scheme? What was termed as a ‘forward concept' aimed to protect wells in the State appears to have run dry.
Water disruption is one side of the story. There are several households which are still burning their midnight oil and are still awaiting electricity connections. While Union Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh stated recently in Delhi that 24x7 power is a fundamental right of every citizen of the country, there are remote areas in Goa which are still to get a power connection. A glowing example is the case of four Harijan households located 15 kms from Valpoi town which are still awaiting electricity and water connections for nearly five decades, even as the rest of Sattari taluka has been witnessing development.
The development process itself partly appears flawed, otherwise how can one explain the rejection of key projects which were earlier okayed by the Investment Promotion Board. Secondly, while projects have been given clearances, there is no plan in place to source electricity requirements of power-guzzlers. A reality check is required against the back drop of several parts going without water and witnessing frequent blackouts while government is selling a bright idea called ‘development'. Let development move at its own pace, but not by overlooking the basic needs of Goemkars.
