PACHU MENON
As one of the thriving industrial hubs in the state, Verna electronic city is a beehive of activities twenty four hours of the day. With a number of multinational companies and a host of local entrepreneurs having set shop in the sprawling industrial estate, one would have expected the whole area to wear an aesthetic fascia to go with the modern look.
The presence of some renowned international business establishments which have been very meticulous about the layout of their units which spells grandeur in every sense of the word have somehow not bothered themselves with the shabby visage greeting visitors to the industrial estate premises.
Heavy vehicular movement, with the likes of trucks, containers, besides the normal traffic of cars and two-wheelers plying within the industrial estate premises has taken the toll on the roads which today present a deplorable condition.
The crater-sized pot-holes all along the thoroughfares which make a mockery of Newton’s hypothesis on motion, for instance! And we have a regular posse of policemen and RTO stationing themselves alternately at various vantage points in the industrial estate to penalize errant drivers infringing on road safety rules! When the thoroughfares aren’t worth traversing on, what ‘safety’ measures are the authorities insisting on!
With rapid expansions on both sides of the national highway, Verna electronic city is growing at an alarming rate! Yet it continues to grapple with problems of water, power and security “ and not all necessarily in that order!
The power woes are difficult to enumerate; suffice to say that the entire area has been warding off the stealth of darkness creeping into every aspect of activity that defines productivity.
Initially, for a couple of years, Reliance Energy Limited, set up through the International Competitive Bidding route as per Government of India policy to build power stations in Goa, developed customer base in Goa with a large share of the power generated going directly to major industrial consumers.
But with the high tariff charged deterring industrial consumers from purchasing power from Reliance power plant, the state electricity department is hence obligated to supply adequate power to the industrial units in Verna so as not to affect their production.
Hamstrung by electrical outages, erratic power supply as that perennial problem afflicting the Verna electronic city continues as an unresolved issue that has flummoxed successive governments. The PWD authorities and their unrealistic engineering plans have also been directly responsible for the water crisis which has compelled many industries to seek alternative sources to satisfy their demands.
Besides bore wells, the area’s reliance on private suppliers to provide potable water makes a mockery of the government’s claims of having the best infrastructure in place in Verna.
The industrial estate at Verna is also a nightmare for employees working the graveyard shift. The failure of GIDC to maintain streetlights causes much inconvenience to workers, mostly women.
Curiously, no one has said that the presence of police personnel gives a sense of security to those either coming or returning from late night shifts. On the contrary, allegations of unnecessary harassment by policemen patrolling in the night gives a totally different perspective to the whole essay.
It is also disturbing to hear about Verna electronic city’s unpreparedness in the face of any eventuality “ there is no disaster management policy in place. A fire-station and a private hospital which enjoys more of a ‘token’ presence here do not allay fears either!
The migrant labour which forms a major chunk of the workforce, and who have accommodated themselves around the periphery of the industrial estate have further added to the woes. Sprouting labour camps do not conform to any standards of hygiene thus endangering the lives of the locals.
The rising crime graph in the area is another matter of concern!
In the absence of proper parking, heavy goods vehicles parked on either side of the roads is a common sight. However, with the police penalizing these for unlawful parking, it would appear that heavy vehicle operators are paying the price for inaction of the GIDC in acquiring land for the purpose.
Even so, with many of the companies here insisting on their employees parking their vehicles outside the gates, a ‘fortification’ of cars and 2-wheelers around the perimeter of each factory lends an unaesthetic look to the area. The VP of Loutolim which lays claims to administrative and related matters has failed miserably in maintaining the beauty of an area which contributes maximum by way of taxes to the local body.
The recent exercise leading to the abrupt disappearance of the green foliage in the industrial estate with trees all along the roads being ‘mercilessly’ chopped down remains a great mystery.
The entire area today wears a barren look and no shade remains! Apparently stripping the area of its green cover was authorized to facilitate the extension of NH 17B through the busy industrial zone.
If road-widening, or for that matter any other developmental plans in the industrial estate, have demanded the sacrifice of trees, the sacrilegious act should serve to remind the fully-functional association of industries in Verna, that even if it has given a mute consent to the proposal, it is party to a devastation that will haunt future generations. Development should not come at the cost of forced depletion of natural resources!
