Villagers have been holding land and waters for centuries without much ‘rich’ dividends. Today, some ‘diligent’ people tell them to give up the same for marinas and earn a profit. Reminded of the proverb: the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. The latter gets newfound riches in no time whilst the latter will find themselves in poverty. Nothing in hand for a rainy day.
Why must the former have to explain to the latter why they reject their proposal? If you have a property not put up for sale, do you have to explain the reasons for your decision to hold the same to everyone?
Such villages must enact a resolution that under the prevailing conditions, it is paramount that the holdings handed down by their ancestors are kept in tact for the next generation - a generation is 30 years - to provide them for a rainy day. They must also decide the type of businesses coming up in their village. Do they want massage parlours? Do they wish their kids becoming masseuses? They can also decide on the rate of increase of population per sq. km- both floating and permanent.
Make your own laws to protect yourselves. Conmen are not only those online scamsters that are increasing day by day.
R FERNANDES, Margao
