Can We Make Dirty Air Illegal?
In Goa cigarette smoking in public places is a sad story as non-smokers seem to have no rights at all in some restaurants and bakeries along the touristic coast. Foreigners often are to blame as they light up even though there is a no-smoking sign within range of the smoke which they exhale, puffing away like coal-driven trains of olde. The owners and waiters of the establishments remain mute, as though they are sending a message to one and all: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. We Goans have yet to fight for our liberation as it is obviously not complete. No-smoking sign boards are not enough as the job is half-done and is little more than interior or exterior decoration. The government has to implement much stricter laws and fine the people who break the law to the point where it hurts. Only then will the message go home. We need to take a page from the Singapore success story of development if Goa is going to move forward and attract visitors of quality to a clean and law abiding tourist destination. Isn't this what we all want? On a much more serious level, whenever I'm in Margao my lungs cry out for help! The air is bad, especially where the traffic is crowded and slow moving which is unfortunately a large part of the city. Why don't we make dirty, polluted air illegal? In Kobe, Japan, in the year 2000 there was an uproar when the Kobe District Court instructed the government to reduce vehicle exhaustion emissions in Amagasaki, Hyogo. The people demanded clean air as a basic human right. Diesel vehicles were particularly targeted, and in other parts of Japan factories which pollute the air along with heavy vehicles which passed through neighborhoods or near footpaths instantly became public enemy number one. The Japanese people had woken up to their rights and demanded them here and now. Why do residents of towns and cities in Goa, namely, Margao, Vasco, Mapuca, Calangute and Panaji continue to be extremely docile? Do they love breathing in polluted air? Don't they want a healthy development in their towns and cities for themselves and their children? Has the government done a study of air pollution of our towns and cities? If so, the government needs to make public the data of the study through the usual process of a visual air pollution map. And, the same applies for noise pollution as people have a basic right to have a good night's sleep; as we know, the majority of people in neighborhoods have to go to work or school, not to mention daily shopping, and so on. They all have a right to undisturbed sleep. SPM or suspended particle matter has to be reduced for the benefit of residents and others who visit the various towns and cities in Goa. SPM is a serious health hazard. Cities and towns all over Japan have since executed plans to reduce air pollution and damage to the environment and their neighborhoods. Can't Goans use this module for development? No more destruction of our environment, no more Goan hearts bleeding to see their land, water and air go to hell. While the government wants and needs to build roads and highways, what about the quality of the air people breathe in? Doesn't development include breathing in clean air? Don't Goans and visitors to Goa have a right to clean air or not? The government needs to clear the air on this issue, no vagueness or smoke screens. In Japan, the building of highways and roads come with a guarantee of clean air. No clean air, no development! Diesel vehicles, undoubtably, need to be taxed heavily as they are major pollutant monsters, and owners of monster vehicles need to pay much more for harming the health of others. Diesel vehicles entering our towns and cities should to be charged a special health tax to protect people who live in the neighborhoods. Otherwise, they deserve a neighexit. This is an example of a good tax to uphold the health of urban citizens rather than asking them to breathe in dirty polluted air. Sooner than later they will find new routes and ways to do business. Our small towns and villages are also dying as large number of cars are killing them. One obvious and effective way to reduce pollution is to connect all the towns in Goa by railways. It will reduce the need to own a car and also become an added touristic attraction. Travel pleasantly around Goa and visit all the towns and cities. If the government wants to build more roads and highways then the public needs to insist on cleaner air. Vehicle pollution taxes are the need of the hour. Cars don't kill people in road accidents only; they also do through air pollution. Both are crimes against innocent individuals. It is time for the government to admit it. Life is precious, even in Goa.