The city of Panaji has become virtually a free-for-all. Once a beautiful city and an attractive tourist destination, today it lies in ruins and tatters, sullied and defaced. Governance is so bad that anybody can come, do anything to our capital city and can simply expect to get away with it. A few days back, there was a meditation programme by some Swami, which was held at the SAG Grounds, Campal. Without obtaining necessary permissions, the organizers pasted promotional posters of this event all over the city, thus violating the laws of the land in the process. After clicking a few photographs, I met the Mayor and asked him to take action against the organizers but the Mayor refused to act, citing ridiculous reasons of "hurting religious sentiments" were he to take such an action. Now I wonder what kind of God would want his followers to sully and deface the streets in his name. If you go around the city now, you will find posters, pamphlets, notices, etc affixed all over - on the streets, on walls of Public Buildings, on shutters of shops, on Electricity and Telephone Department Pillars, on Street Light Poles, on trees, etc. Now apart from the organizers of the Meditation programme, there are also several others who have committed a similar offence, violating the provisions of ‘The Goa Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1988’ and the provisions of Chapter XXVI (Sections 298, 299, 300), ‘The City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002 and Rules, etc.
It is a real shame to see these kinds of things happening even 50 years after our Liberation. We seem to be heading from bad to worse. Those who are in power to act are doing nothing while the city stinks and rots. Are we really liberated or are we liberated so much that we can no do anything and everything we want, even violate the laws without having to face the consequences? Everything about the present governance stinks! I have filed appropriate complaints with various authorities, including the Police. Let us wait and watch whether any of these authorities take any action against this blatant defacement of the city. Photographs of the defacement of the city are available at: http://tinyurl.com/pjmdefacement More defacement pics: http://tinyurl.com/pjmdefacement1 warm regards,Sandeep Heble9326129171 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------