The recent fire in the Taleigao fields is a cause for concern to all nature loving Goans. This is going on for sometime now with the authorities turning a blind eye obviously with a hidden agenda. The owners of these properties should be arrested first and interrogated by the authorities. We have seen fires in fields the most recent one in Taleigao besides San Jose de Areal and hill fires in Molem and other places where cashew plantations are burnt down to ashes obviously for real estate development. The Portuguese during their rule in Goa had brought the cashew plant to Goa from distant Brazil and which has survived for ages and the real estate mafia are trying to give it a slow death. Stubble burning besides creating air pollution also has a very cascading effect on the health of the elderly and children. Our politicos fail to realize that just for a few crores they will ruin the next 3/4 generations in the long run. If urgent steps are not taken immediately we are headed for a disaster in the forthcoming years.
