People should vote for good governance

It is election season in Goa and the hype is deafening. However, with every election that has come and gone, there has been minimal change in the villages of Goa. Promises are made but the real issues that affect the Goankar are rarely addressed.

The agricultural community in Goa, who are the backbone of the economy, are now victims of land grabbing. Low lying paddy fields have been taken over for construction of roads which have been haphazardly built. In the name of development, urban infrastructure is being constructed without a long term and sustainable plan. All of this is being done in “public interest” without the inputs from the public, the citizens and the agricultural community.

There is an unholy nexus between the politicians and builders who have vested interests in acquiring as much land as possible in this small but important state. Over the last few years, I have scrutinised documents of the Taleigao Communidade and have filed legal cases against illegal developments on Communidade land by the State. It is clear that the State has infringed on the age-old tradition of a “private village” and made a mockery of the institution.

Goa suffers from a sanitation and waste disposal problem. The State and the village panchayats have failed to provide proper sewage and drainage system in the villages. It is getting increasingly difficult to cultivate the land as the canals and drainage system are blocked by construction waste which is let out into the fields. Raw sewage overflowing from the septic tanks attached to unplanned residential buildings and discharge of untreated waste water around the low lying fields is a common sight. The revenue authorities - the Collector, the Town & Country Planning authorities and the Village Panchayats - are issuing permits for these illegal constructions and not exercising their powers of regulation and oversight.

The Rajiv Gandhi IT Park is a great example. It was launched with great fanfare and was slated to make a big difference to Goa. The ambitious project was meant to be a hub for medium and large scale IT companies and generate employment benefitting the State. However, the project might remain an unfulfilled dream with the IT Park program being scrapped. Will the land that was granted to it be returned to the original owners - the Taleigao Communidade? Currently the Government is using the site to generate revenue without providing anything back to the true owners of the land.

Panchayats and the MLAs are destroying fertile fields by acquiring them under the pretext of public infrastructure, often acquiring the land from farmers by force. Shouldn’t they be encouraging farming rather than encroaching on fertile fields? Farming no longer seems to be a priority and Panchayats and MLAs seem determined to look the other way, ignoring the destruction.

In the recent ODP 2028, there are many roads shown zigzagging across fields of my village Taleigao. One does not understand the purpose of these roads and the vision for development. No input was taken from the people and no explanation given. This has resulted in several court cases against the ODP in the High Court and District Court as the villagers are afraid it is another land grab of cultivable land. The Panchayat has been of little use in fighting this corruption or being on the side of the farmers and villagers.

The original landowners have always worked in the interest to preserve their history, but it seems as though the government has decided it has the right to destroy this beautiful part of Goa.

Whilst construction is rampant everywhere including in fertile fields, the people of villages do not have access to basic amenities like water, electricity and proper roads. It is therefore ironic that land is being grabbed for roads.

If the people of Goa want to preserve their history, beautiful nature and culture, they must introspect and reflect on what they would like their future to be. One can balance development whilst preserving the better parts of our historic culture and nature. But that involves community input, inclusive development plans, systems that promote sustainability and most of all good governance. There can be no room for corrupt officials who put self before the people of Goa.

Therefore don’t let the din of election propaganda distract you from the real issues. Ask the right questions of your candidates, be courageous and bold to pick those who have demonstrated good governing practices and demand accountability from these public servants. Goa must come first or we might only be left of a memory of it.