To Goanet - Over the past few months, I have received a few inquiries from acquaintances and even strangers about buying apartments in Goa. In every instance, the project of interest turned out to be one that I had photographed in its incipience and for which I had filed an RTI application. In other words, they were illegal projects to begin with. Now they are nearing completion and are being advertised the world over. They must have been 'regularized' - i.e. everyone in the food chain bribed, documents cooked, land conversions reworked, and so on.
My documentary, The Rape of Goa, made in 2008, now serves as a marker. In Dona Paula, the gigantic project by Mathias called Ocean Park, which had been stalled, is now back up and running. That will add hundreds of new apartments (and non-Goans) to the area. A little further down in Bambolim, is the monstrous Aldeia de Goa project with its companion Grand Hyatt property (you have to see it to believe its size and scope). I saw several hoardings around Dabolim airport, one of which was a project by DLF - http://www.investinnest.com/properties/DLF/dlf-river-valley-goa.htm On my flight to Mumbai yesterday, there was a full page ad in the Jetwings magazine for a new project in south Goa near River Sal. This one - http://www.niteshestates.com/type4.aspx?type=4&l1=2&l2=7&l3=13 These are but few of the several upcoming atrocities in Goa. Stand in Miramar and gaze at the ugly new construction on the opposite side of the Mandovi, at Nerul and Kegdevelim. Now think about this: all this new construction has arisen by destroying prime Goan land, hills, fields, lush forests, and penetrated many of our beautiful hitherto untouched villages. 98% of these spaces will be purchased by outsiders, NOT Goans. That is, we have destroyed OUR land and our peace, to bring in outsiders, so that a handful real estate rats can make crores of rupees, some of which will trickle down to a handful of Goans who have been bribed to grease the wheels (panch, sarpanch, MLA, a minister or two etc). These outsiders have little interest in Goa and Goans, beyond the 'view' they are paying for, and the bragging rights of owning property in Goa. Vasco had long ago turned into a slum, followed by Margao. Panjim was the final bastion. But now Panjim has fallen and is in an irreversible slide. Go to some areas of Panjim, like in St Inez, and you might as well be in some squalid corner of Andheri or Patna. Ugly construction, depleted tree cover, non-existent fields, ghatis all around, and the constant barrage of honking and traffic. I have to rub my eyes vigorously to convince myself that this was the quiet, leafy corner I grew up in not long ago. It is not very different in the rest of the city - the filth, the traffic, the noise, and ghatis crawling out of every crevice. Mining, construction, and migrants - this is the trinity that had done Goa in. They are interrelated. Goa's greatest asset was its peace and quiet. What many Goans fail to recognize is that this peace and quiet was first & foremost a result of our relatively few numbers, and second, the essentially civilized Goan outlook (all our shortcomings notwithstanding). In the past 10 years, we let all the Indian rabble come in a settle down here - both the low end of the economic spectrum (ghatis) and the neo-rich (the latter being the worst of the worst - money without culture is a disaster). We had one and only one opportunity to correct course. In late 2006 when the Goa Bachao Abhiyan was formed. We had the govt on the mat at that time. But the leaders of the GBA engaged in fraud and went to bed with the very govt that were fighting against. I have detailed this betrayal here in two parts: "GBA- 3 years of deceit" - http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2009-December/187272.html http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2009-December/187386.html It is now game over for Goa. We are in a deep plunge from which there is no recovery. Even if we could create the most perfect and honest politician out of thin air, that mythical creature would be helpless to save Goa. What a curse for Goa, to be saddled with dirty traitors among us, and then to be joined at the hip to a third-rate country like India. So fellow Goans, accept it. Goa is gone for good. I leave you with this video made by Dr. Nandakumar Kamat. It is a good example of how we Goans have let these Indians come in hereand turn our paradise into a slum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK1UfegecNQ Regards, r
