Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has recently announced that the Indian Racing Festival will be held at the Goa Street Circuit, near Manohar International Airport, Mopa. Very soon, details emerged that the races will be held between February 14 and 15 as Round 4 of the Indian Racing League and FIA-certified Formula 4 Indian Championship. The races across a 2 km circuit will be streamed live by national channels.
Surprisingly, the local MLAs, panchayats or locals were unaware of such a race happening in the locality. A week later, a growing sense of unease among locals prevails, as it becomes apparent that an event of such magnitude is being kept under wraps. Panchayats are known to be custodians of local interests, but it is unfortunate they learn of a project in their area through media reports and press releases.
It was in October last year that the government was forced to retract the racing event scheduled at Bogda-Sada after locals raised objections due to narrow roads. Sawant had a patient hearing of residents along with Mormugao Municipal Council Chairperson, councillors and MLAs Sankalp Amonkar and Krishna Salkar at Ravindra Bhavan, Baina, before deciding to withdraw. Interestingly, despite working out solutions, including opening up a temporary road, the locals object to the race, prompting the government to beat a retreat. “The government cannot go against people’s wishes,” Sawant had said then.
Surprisingly, the race makes a comeback in just over three months, this time at Mopa, with people and their representatives having no clue. Large-scale events such as Formula 4 racing are undeniably attractive for tourism since these will help Goa carve out a new name on the international arena, attract more visitors and boost revenues. However, the manner in which plans are unveiled without any community involvement runs the risk of unnecessarily turning opportunities into areas of conflict. This lack of communication with local stakeholders will only erode public trust further.
A pattern of opaque decision-making has been a striking highlight in the development story. In recent years, various infrastructure, tourism, or industrial projects have faced protests because of a fundamental failure to involve local communities. Moreover, time and again, there are indications that Goans are becoming increasingly sensitive to any project or development that affects the environment or ecology.
The State has had bitter experiences in setting up IIT in Goa, having exited at least five different locations beginning with the Loliem-Canacona in 2016 after locals moved in to protect the Bhagawati plateau. In 2021, the project exited Melauli in Sattari after violent protests, only to meet with opposition from farmers in Cortali-Sanguem in 2023. The Rivona site also faced issues, forcing the government to drop that site in 2023.
The theory that the government cannot seek approval for every project from the people is flawed, especially in scenarios that are prevalent now. When there is hostility in the air, there is a need to tread with caution because even a minor slip could trigger a pubic debate and gather traction. Failure to engage people will be construed as arrogance and cause unnecessary roadblocks to development.
The Formula 4 race in Goa is an excellent idea and can do a world of good to the battered image of being seen solely as an alcohol-narcotic-party-related destination. The question is, why take this detour of bypassing everyone? The government may have the plan well laid out, and possibly, there may be no objections like those faced in Mormugao; all that was required was proper communication.
The government must understand that growth prospects hinge on balancing progress with participation. Sustainable development is rooted in dialogue and respect for the people of the land. Events such as these have global outreach and hence need to be handled carefully. We hope that the race does not go off the track this time too.
