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HEART 2 HEART (Herald) By Ethel Da Costa IFFI born of a quickie? To, His Excellency Mr Jamir Dear Sir, I understand you' re a man who would prefer things straight and direct, so spare me a few minutes. I have struggled, in pursuit of a deadline, through a day fraught with black outs and frequent power cuts right from 5.30am to 5.30pm. The calendar on my desk screams a countdown to IFFI. I've missed my deadline. Is this a harbinger of things to come? As I write this, citizens of Alto Nagali Colony, Dona Paula, stand armed with stones in their hands on the road to stop the sewage/mud laden trucks from Mala Lake heading for their clean environs. The government is creating `hills ' of sewage (Bal Bhavan and Campal bore the brunt silently, now its Dona Paula) in a tearing hurry to beautify Panjim for a festival that does not involve locals in its scheme of things (but for a hurried pressnote released by the DI to suggest otherwise). The residents of Nagali believe that only a people's movement can stop arrogance getting the better of reason. But does anybody care? The way things stand in these days of hard core horse trading, money has replaced logic. Add muscle power in the absence of grey cells. From the local authorities to the truck drivers mucking up the road of Dona Paula, nobody respects the law of the land, going by the threats these politically fattened goons have been throwing at the locals (a woman was told `I will go to the higher ups ' when she stopped these trucks dumping mud in her colony) with an air of chest-swelling bravado. Is Goa heading for an era of lawlessness? As I write this, labourers are toiling hard and fast in the heat of the autumn sun, pouring heaps of concrete into a bridge, pavements, road dividers, the multiplex and Kala Academy. I pause to ponder if these concrete structures will last us another 12 months after the hype of IFFI has died down. They (the IFFI taskforce) are in a mad, tearing hurry to meet the deadline thrust down their throats by a government (supported by back-bending babus) keen to score a brownie on promotions. Does ego precede quality? Where are the checks and balances to ensure quality control on the superstructures popping around us? Who is paying for these costs? Precious public monies have been poured into mortar and cement to change the face of Panjim. Sure, the Old GMC looks swell with the facelift, but what will scratching its surface reveal? Scant regard has been paid to the laws of engineering, allowing little, if any time, for the curing process required for these concrete structures. It ' s common sense. Every engineer knows this, why are they silent? Are we re-writing construction and engineering fundamentals to suit a few pockets, regardless of public safety? Do we want a concrete apocalypse that will break the back of this city five years from now? And what have you to say of the fire at the Basilica? Have you heard the grapevine rife with rumours alleging more than an ordinary short-circuit that ravaged the roof of our historic heritage monument. Citizens of Goa are alarmed. Don't you fret at the obvious lack of security World Heritage monuments enjoy in Goa? I know for sure that heritage monuments elsewhere in the world enjoy top class security systems to protect them against any man-made or natural faux pas. Where is this class of special security to safe-guard our monuments? Where is the Disaster Management Office in the State of Goa? If we are found wanting in these departments, and badly, what of the safety of six million odd travellers/tourists heading for Goa from all over the world in November/December? Do we have a security blueprint to plug these loopholes? Are we planning ways and means to keep a check on who gets in and out of our borders? Or, are we awaiting bedlam because we have taken our peace for granted. I notice that not a single club or a casino, temple or a church, disco or a resort has any equipment essential for safeguarding its own premises (and we are not talking fire hydrants alone) as well as the safety of its occupants/visitors/tourists. Guns and bombs are no longer social taboos in public places. If scanners and metal detectors are installed at every legitimate pub/club/disco in Goa, you will find the beeps ringing into your head well past breakfast. Goa is simply not a haven for drug lords alone. We have enough reasons to beef up our act, but we're such lazy Goenkars that we don't mind getting robbed in broad daylight. Yes, I'm painting a picture of Judgement Day. There's every reason to be apprehensive and worried because we have learnt through these four years of `clean' governance that goondaism works. Hotels get smashed, street signages are violated, private/public property vandalized (and nobody gets caught because even officials don't file complaints to sit tight on their chairs). It is common knowledge that intimidation and threats enjoy government licence. Hence, no cop shakes his finger until he is told to do so. Let's face it. I'm also wondering aloud where the alleged Rs 72 lakhs, earmarked for purchase of security devices, has evaporated. Public places are vulnerable targets. So why aren't the police departments stepping up on their jobs? And while I'm on this, where is the contingency plan in case of an emergency or a security lapse? Where and what are the information gathering and co-ordinating agencies doing? An event of this proportion cannot be taken so lightly. But where is the `Think Tank' who think long term solutions for Goa? Are we thinking with all our faculties intact? Can we really pull this together without publicly falling on our faces? Or are we expected to lie back and enjoy this rape of our sensibilities? I look to you for solutions. Ethel =======
