A Goan family living for forty years in a house in Verna, reportedly declared illegal, was suddenly demolished during the monsoon season by bulldozer!
It is only when the news went viral on social media that shockingly the government informed that the Collectorate was not responsible for the demolition, cruelly rendering the family homeless with their belongings on the road, but unilaterally done by the administrator of comunidades.
The Panchayat, nor any minister or anyone in the government, all remained unaware.
Why was such a time chosen for inhuman drastic action and all due process of governance required like regularization or rehabilitation of Goan residents not considered by the huge benevolent government machinery?
Why must a poor family be brutally treated with no help now coming from politicians and the people?
An educational institution is supposed to be a temple of learning. Police need to be educated to not interfere but enforce strict unbiased law and order.
Teachers and students must be free to discuss/explore different views of all history, ideologies, religions, philosophies, doctrines, science and technologies.
The incident of the Dabolim HSS students reportedly coming out in support of the Principal who was suspended after agitation by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bagrang Dal, exhibiting militant arms of the BJP in increasing incidents, does not augur well for harmony, law and order in peaceful Goa!
When later Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister, he kept these outfits in check and prevented people like Pramod Muthalik, chief of the Rashtriya Hindu Sena, the parent organisation of the Sri Ram Sena, that has been causing communal tension in Karnataka firmly from entering Goa. Hindu outfits with the BJP in power today preaching 'Sab ke saath', one earth, one family, one future, seems to be providing patronage to these communal outfits which encourages them to take the law into their own hands with impunity.
The reason reportedly was an educative voluntary workshop organized in a mosque with 4 girl students who said they covered their head with their dupatta out of respect for a holy place and 22 boys who stated no one coerced them and wisely that our Constitution allows respect to every religion. Incidentally, so does Sanathan Dharma? If anything illegal/conspiracies are suspected, the Directorate of Education wad the authority to initiate action into the same with due process.
The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) organized a talk by Shazia Ilmi, journalist, filmmaker, politician and spokesperson of the BJP. A Muslim, she was outspoken about her patriarchal community where women are treated conservatively with gender discrimination and not allowed to dream big.
She recalled her rebellious struggles, education abroad and called for doing away with reservations. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressing the gathering stated that the role of women should be on par with men in their family, community, workplace and government.
Actions speak louder than words and I am finding it difficult to understand how when the official spokesperson is of the positive opinion of doing away with reservations, and our CM on role of women, but practically during elections they are in fact increasing reservations, do not give more tickets to women and back them for elections nor do they find a place in the cabinet.
Hence one more unnecessary Bill is required by politicians so the Women’s Reservation Bill labelled Nari Shakti Vandan Adiniyam 2023, whose time had come was almost unanimously passed in both houses of Parliament after the cabinet suddenly approved it without any pre discussion with the opposition.
A special session was called leaving the Opposition guessing the agenda. Further it is to be implemented only after the new census is done and thereafter a delimitation exercise which some estimate may go up to 2029.
Absolutely lacking in humanity and accountability are our basic problems around us in our daily living, which have been around unsolved and many of which are ticking time bombs.
The opposition-ignored governance leaves the ruling party free to do whatever it wants using every means possible, right from arbitrary change in laws, rules and regulations using ordinances and diktats which are enforced by brute power.
Right from Town and Country Planning, under the guise of correction of errors in regional plan to non-coordination of works by the many departments, there is civic apathy however good the governance is portrayed by propaganda and headlines.
Goa never had so many slums, gated colonies which few Goans can afford, ugly multi-storied buildings and huge garbage and sewage problems.
Rains bring flooding, stray cattle and dogs which are perennial problems, with pot holed roads and traffic accidents due to non-standardised speed breakers, faulty road construction/repairs/ lack of signage, etc. and no authority is punished or heads rolls, but families have on many occasions to suffer loss of loved ones and much inconvenience and despair.
Let us enjoy feverish festivals, global events and needed development but let our government not forget to bring back home democratic governance that all our brethren yearn for.
