Development and environment are not equivalent terms as development is not even 100 years old whereas environment was in existence from times immemorial. You cannot balance environment and development
Dr Claude Alvares,
Goa Foundation
....
Development is a must but we need to decide to what extent we can deviate from nature and draw only that much which nature is willing to give us. Investment is a monster of corporates. Natural resources should be the domain of the State and they should not be sold
Rajendra Poddar,
Agricultural economist
...........
Karnataka and not Rajasthan has been turned into the country's largest desert. In sugarcane growing areas there are large instances of sex determination and female foetus are aborted, leading to a skewed male-female ratio.
Sanjeev Kulkarni,
Ecologist
The clash between environment and development is not new; however one must decide whether one wants development or environment or prosperity. The basic human instinct desires a better life. We must allow different voices to be heard
........
Editor
Bhanu Kale,
..........
Balance between sustainable development
and environment is need of hour
Dr Claude Alvares claims development and environment cannot be balanced
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
At a seminar on the topic 'Dichotomy between Development & Environment' held at the Abhivyakti: Dakshinayan Rashtriya Parishad in Margao on Saturday, the argument veered round the view of a balance between sustainable development and environment being the need of the hour.
Articulating his viewpoint, Dr Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation, claimed development and environment are not equivalent terms as development is not even 100 years old whereas environment was in existence from times immemorial. “You cannot balance environment and development,” he remarked.
Dr Alvares said development is a human concept invented by human beings to further their own cause. He termed Goa as an art painting created by Goans in villages. Dr Alvares said all earlier ODPs and RPs in Goa have been contracted from outside the State.
To change this situation, Dr Alvares said a 'Goenchi Mati Fund' has been established to establish the sovereignty of the State over natural resources . He also said a seat needs to be reserved on every Board or Committee to listen to “the voice of the wolf.”
Speaking on this occasion, agricultural economist, Rajendra Poddar, said while development is a must, we need to decide to what extent we can deviate from nature and draw only that much which nature is willing to give us. Terming investment as a monster of corporates, Poddar informed how most of the country's rivers have been turned into drains while criticising lop-sided development. “Natural resources should be the domain of the State and they should not be sold out,” he remarked.
Ecologist, Sanjeev Kulkarni, said Karnataka and not Rajasthan has been turned into the country's largest desert. He told the audience how sugarcane growing areas in the sugar belt of Maharashtra and Karnataka have large instances of sex determination whereby female foetus have been aborted leading to a skewed male-female ratio. He advocated a sustainable development model to balance development and environment.
Editor of 'Antarnad' Bhanu Kale, termed the clash between environment and development as “not new” and called on the people to decide as to whether they need development or environment or prosperity. “We need development, whatever may be the difficulties,” he remarked, while claiming that it is the basic human instinct which desires a better life. He felt freedom of expression as signified by the theme of the convention 'Abhivyakti' needs to be observed by all sections of society. “We must allow different voices to be heard,” he aded.
Adv Cleofato Almeida Coutinho moderated the seminar.
