Dr Joe D’Souza
We have ushered in the New Year 2019. As we herald in the “Ano Novo” we all have to reflect upon what each one of us achieved during the last one year. Has 2018 been good, bad or ugly, or could it have been better or could we have been worse off?
For the optimist, that he is ushering in 2019 is in itself a reason to be happy and joyous for many of his friends may have passed away. For a pessimist it is an extension of his life of routine, despair; sweet nothing but sorrow. But for a realist, he is richer in experience, with each passing day and he thus resolves to aspire for a better tomorrow, through focused deeds and actions, directed towards meeting his resolves and aspirations. So as we look back at 2018 and reflect as to how it has been for Goa and Goans, by and large, I as a realist see that 2018 has been a mixed bag of challenges when ordinary Goans saw what we normally term, as the “End of the Road”, was actually a new door for a brighter new road ahead.
Look at Germany and Japan, they are slowly closing down coal mines, reducing the use of nuclear power and optimizing the use of “Solar energy”. True, Goa was wrongly focusing on coal-based energy generation and economic development. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ridiculed those who opposed the import of coal through MPT, by suggesting that they travel in bullock carts. Luckily for Goa and Goans, people by and large specially around Vasco understood the ill effects of dust from coal, powdered chemicals and pollutants on the human body and the aggravation of cancers in Goa, due to impact of chemical adulterants and pollutants in foods, soil, air and water. The Goan society at large is sternly fighting the lackadaisical and insolent Government of Goa, consisting of bureaucrats and politicians, who are corrupt and imposing serious hazards on the society by stubbornly defying the forces of mother Nature, by ushering in highly polluting industries or commercial ventures like casinos etc.
On the brighter side for Goans we must be happy that in 2018 the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa as well as the Supreme Court of India has understood fully and clearly that “Goa is the land worth fighting for” and needs preserving its water bodies, lush green agricultural fields and hills and ensuring that our people get potable clean water for our lives and
livestock.
Our government at the Centre is committed to fully utilizing the “Goodness of forever available Solar Energy”. Goa is fortunately very rich in solar energy and is bestowed with abundance of monsoon rainfall. We have iron ores in branded form, which are essentially “Aquifers”. The iron in Goan soil is a powerful sponge and an efficient filtration unit, which keeps away bacteria, organic impurities, toxic heavy metals and provides Goa with extremely mineral-rich and vitally healthy supply of precious water. So if 2018 saw an end to mining scams and illegal extraction of iron ore; in 2019 the new door needs to be open, so that we could use our Mineral ore belt rich in Iron as a filtering unit of our monsoon waters in optimal quantities, so that each year hence forward we could see our mine owners making Goa a very profitable water exporting state, during the monsoons in particular and using the harnessed water to boost our agriculture, fisheries and fillip up our agro based secondary industries.
We must salute our Goan entrepreneurs, who have successfully marketed, sausages, pickled meats fish, desiccated coconuts, coconut milk and cookies, not only making it available in Europe but also America, as well as Australia. We in 2019 must realize and work towards making Goa a land wherein Man can blend with Mother Nature toward achieving sustainable growth.
We do not require 6 or 8 lane highways and ugly bridges which are not in tune with Green Goa. We must realise in 2019 the tourists are shying away from Goa, because we are giving the worthy visitors from USA, Europe, Japan or Australia exactly what they dislike in their own country -- ugly buildings, monstrous highways or fruits, vegetables grown on chemical fertilisers.
The Goan, is perhaps one daily which has rightly diagnosed, that keeping hotel tariffs as high as nearly Rs 80,000 per night would wean away the well-meaning tourists from coming to Goa.
I have personally over 400 relatives, and friends, who used to come to Goa every Christmas and their New Year celebrations upto 2012. Sadly, for me, they now come to Goa in batches of about 25 visitors. They all prefer to go to Thailand, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Tunisia, etc. as stay is cheaper in those countries during Christmas time.
In November 2018, when my brother-in-law come with friends and family to Goa, they were aghast on seeing casinos docked in front of Hotel Mandovi. Loud outdoor music, open urination, garbage litter in the heart of Panjim was what they saw. After spending Rs 8,00,000 for a 10-day stay in Goa my family also forewent their stay in Poinguinim in Canacona, as they found the place very dirty.
Perhaps in 2019, Goan tourism ministry as well as the well-meaning travel agents would help reduce the chaos of urination, defecation, garbage gauntlet, parking chaos, menace of touts of boat cruises operating in front of Panjim jetties to help ensure Goa get quality high end tourists, by driving cruise boats, casinos out of River Mandovi. Goa and Goans need a scientific tourism policy.
In 2018, Goa made many mistakes in strategies directed towards good governance. Will we correct ourselves in 2019? For if we do not learn from history, we would suffer carrying on with the same errors in the future.
