One of my relative sent this article to me.
_____ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 2008/5/9 Subject: FW: Goa- WARNING TO ALL PROPERTY OWNERS IN GOA To: > Goa has been re-colonised not only by the Brits, Russians > and the Israelis but also by the bold and the beautiful and > the rich and powerful from other parts of the country. By > RAJAN NARYAN > > A FEW days ago the sarpanch of Morjim investigated > complaints that a Russian national, who had bought property > on the border of Morjim and Arambol, had blocked the > traditional access to the beach. The security guards of the > Russian national who had fenced the traditional access to > the beach assaulted the sarpanch. The sarpanch has lodged a > police complaint against the security guards who assaulted > him. This is not an isolated case. There are large areas of > Morjim, particularly in Vithaldas-wadi, which have been > totally colonized by the Russians. > Locals are not allowed to enter any of the properties which > are fenced off and guarded by armed security guards. > Russians, who have bought huge amounts of property in > Morjim and other villages in the North Goa coastal belt, > have built massive structures within 500 metres of the High > Tide Line in flagrant and blatant violation of the CRZ > Rules. The Chief Secretary told me on Monday that the Goa > Coastal Zone Management Authority that is presided over by > him intends to crack down on foreigners who have violated > the CRZ Rules. > > RUSSIAN INVASION > I recall visiting the Olive Ridley shack on the Morjim > beach over five years ago. The shack then was owned by a > Polish woman. There was already talk that Russians had > begun buying large amounts of property in Morjim. On a > subsequent visit to Morjim, I saw a shack in the middle of > the beach less than ten metres from the High Tide Line > which was festooned with Russian flags. I heard stories of > all-night rave parties by Russians and saw the debris of > the previous night's party on the beach. > But it is not only in Morjim that foreigners have bought > large amounts of beachfront property. If Morjim is > dominated by Russians, Chapora is dominated by the > Israelis. Several parts of the Palolem beach in Canacona > have also been colonised by the Israelis. But the largest > numbers of foreign citizens who have bought property in Goa > are not the Russians or Israelis, but the British. Indeed on > the road leading to Calangute from the St. Alex Church there > is even a real estate agency which proudly advertises the > fact that it is British-owned and only sells property to > Brits and other foreign nationals. > > BI-LINGUAL MENUS > OVER the Holi week, which coincided with the Holy Week, I > happened to spend the weekend at a small rural resort in > Carmona close to the Fatrade beach. I had occasion or > provocation to have a look at all the shacks between > Fatrade and Mobor. The overwhelming majority of the shacks > were full of phirangs. In the shacks on the Cavelossim > beach, I saw a wild Holi celebration on with gallons of > bhang (opium). The revellers were all Russians. On the > tables of many of the shacks, menus were not in English, > but Russian. I have seen menus in Hebrew in several beach > shacks in Chapora and in Palolem. I have never come across > a menu in any Indian language let alone the official > language of the state, Konkani in any beach shack anywhere > in Goa. Even though a large number of domestic tourists > visit Goa. > I very often have occasion to visit many of the starred > hotels in Goa located both on the North Goa beach belt and > the South Goa beach belt for some function or the other. In > the last two or three years, whenever I have visited beach > resorts, particularly in the Southern coastal belt, > stretching from Majorda to Mobor, I have noticed that the > details of the various activities planned for the benefit > of foreign tourists - including charter tourists - > displayed on the activity boards are increasingly in > Russian. Depending on the nationality that the hotel is > catering to, the activity boards can be even in German or > Hebrew for the benefit of the large number of German abd > Israeli tourists who visit Goa. > > NIGHT BAZAAR > GOA has been colonized by phirangs and the signs of their > colonial domination of Goa are everywhere, particularly on > the beach belt. The largest and the most successful night > bazaar in Goa is not run by a Goan or even by an Indian, > but by a German called Ingo. During the Bazaar you can see > Ingo with two armed bodyguards going around collecting the > rentals from those who have taken stalls. I do not know if > the bodyguards who accompany Ingo have licenses for the > weapons that they openly brandish. The majority of the > stalls, particularly the food stalls at Ingo's Saturday > Nite Bazaar are run by phirangs of various nationalities. A > lot of the material sold at the Saturday night bazaar is > imported. I do not know whether they have been imported > into the country legally and whether any of the foreigners > doing roaring business at the Saturday night market have > business visas. Tourists - whether white, brown or black - > who come on tourist visas are not allowed to work in Goa. > Thanks to my better three-quarters' fascination with > exotic food I often get dragged, reluctantly, to little > known restaurants. Restaurants which are run by phirangs > for phirangs. Just recently I visited an Italian restaurant > tucked away in the lanes of the village of Anjuna in the > garden of an old Goan house which is run by an Italian lady > and is patronized entirely by phirangs. I am told it is a > favourite of the Italians. Tara and I were the only locals > at the restaurant at the time we went there. The oldest and > the best known among the restaurants which are owned by > phirangs for the benefit of phirangs are the Lila Café and > Bean Me Up. The few times I have gone there I have only seen > phirangs. > > ANTI-LOCAL > THERE are pubs in the North Goa beach belt which are run by > Brits for Brits. Even some of the shacks on both the North > and South Goa coastal belt are openly hostile not only to > locals but even domestic tourists. On the odd occasion when > I have approached a beach shack for renting a beach bed and > an umbrella, I have been rudely told that they are only for > phirangs or that they have been reserved. Many beach shacks > treat locals and domestic tourists like untouchables. > But it is not only the phirangs including the Russians and > the Israelis and the British and the Germans who have > colonized Goa. As phirang friends of mine point out, Goa > has been invaded in a much bigger fashion by the bold and > the beautiful and the rich and the powerful from Delhi and > Mumbai and other parts of the country who are steadily > pushing up the prices of real estate out of the reach of > locals. All the fancy apartments and the villas advertised > on the internet and at exclusive Goa property exhibitions > held by the Times of India and other organizations have > prices often quoted in dollars and pounds. Presumably > because the real estate sharks who have taken over Goa know > that Goans cannot afford to buy property any longer. > > HERITAGE PROPERTY > MANY of the old ancestral homes in Goa have been sold to > foreigners and non Goans because their owners cannot afford > to maintain them any longer. In many cases of course there > are so many claimants to the ancestral house that > everybody's property becomes nobody's property and > no one is willing to bear the cost of maintaining old > houses. So most owners of ancestral property take the easy > way out and sell it to outsiders including foreign > nationals. But the largest owner of property, particularly > old sprawling restored ancestral homes in Goa are not > phirangs or the bold and beautiful and the rich and > powerful from Mumbai and New Delhi. There are of course the > Vijay Mallayas and the Jimmy Gazdars and the Jaipuryas who > have bought or built huge mansions on the beach belt. But > the property king in terms of the largest amount of real > estate owned by a single individual is a Kashmiri who owns > Sangolda House. His most recent acquisition is Souto Maior > House in Ribandar. Also, half the shops in the five star > and seven star hotels have been leased by this Kashmiri who > claims to be a major carpet exporter and goes by the name of > Mir. > In the last few years, a lot of new real estate has come up > in Goa - premium properties which offer goodies like 24-hour > power generation backup, a swimming pool, a fitness centre > and video telephone for security. Many of the new projects > like the one being constructed by the Geras in Caranzalem > also promise rooftop gardens. While attempting to do some > futile flat hunting - since it is absurd to even look for a > flat in Panjim with less than a crore of rupees, I > discovered that less than 30% of the flats in all the fancy > new buildings are occupied. The flats have either been > bought by outsiders or bought purely for speculative > offices in the hope or the confidence that real estate > prices will go up even further. > > PARADISE PIE > EVERYONE wants a piece of the paradise that Goa is > perceived to be. The phirangs do not mind the fancy prices > in the shacks or the fancy prices of real estate because, > in foreign exchange terms and compared to prices of > property back home or in any other beach resort in the > world, the prices of real estate or of food or drink in Goa > is much cheaper. The Mumbaikar does not mind the high prices > of property in Goa because even in the distant suburb of > Virar in Mumbai or in Thane, the prices of property range > between Rs. 60,000 and Rs. One lakh per square foot against > Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1.5 lakhs per sq m in Goa. So much so, it > makes sense for those who have property in up market or > even in down market areas in the metros to sell their > property and relocate to Goa and live on the difference > between the money they got for selling their property in > Goa and the money they paid for their property purchased in > Goa. For those who are faced with the prospect of paying > thousands of rupees for square feet and square centimetres, > Goa is a very attractive proposition whether for a second > holiday home or just as an investment. And the fact that > Goan hotels have kept hiking their prices to ridiculous > levels makes it even more attractive to own a holiday home > in Goa. > Goa has been totally colonized. The beaches have been > colonized. The premium real estate has been colonized by > land sharks from Russia and the UK and Germany and Dubai > and of course our own home grown land sharks like the > Rahejas. Goan jobs, particularly jobs in the hospitality > industry have been colonized by young people from Nagaland > courtesy the Governor and his OSD and for people from > Jharkand courtesy the Pilar society and people from Orissa > courtesy all those who run security agencies and people > from Gorakhpur who dominate the carpentry business in Goa. > A time will come when there will be no Goans in Goa. > > _____ You could win $1000 a day, now until May 12th, just for signing in to Windows Live Messenger. Check out SignInAndWIN.ca to learn more! <http://g.msn.ca/ca55/211> -- edsouza _____ Veja mapas e encontre as melhores rotas para fugir do trânsito com o Live Search Maps! Experimente <http://www.livemaps.com.br/index.aspx?tr=true> já!
