To the Collectorate, North Goa, I am a Saligaokar, from the Salmona area. I remember, as a child, the walks with my grandfather to the village fountain to splash in the pond on a hot day. We would catch some tiny fish for our fish tank from the pond and have a protracted 'bath' in the cool refreshing stream that had to be directed by sticking an appropriate sized leaf into the outflow spout. The isolated greenery was full of noisy birds and for me, those memories are as close to heaven as I can imagine. It was always with regret that we would leave that sanctuary and return home with a 'causo' of healing mineral water to top up the earthern rooster water cooler.
Although I am no longer walking distance from the 'zor', my heart is in Saligao and Goa. We have returned every few years and my children have fond memories of walks to the fountain. Someday, I hope to take my grand-children to the Saligao fountain to catch fish, have a bath and return with a bottle of water. Unfortunately, that dream is becoming more of a nightmare with the sprouting of construction all the way leading to the fountain and most recently, actually within sight of the spring. This desecration of a pristine patch of land is the ultimate insult to our forefathers who maintained the area for generations. Added to that, the suitability of the water for human consumption is brought into question by the establishment of a garbage dump on the Saligao hill in the vincinity of the head waters of the fountain. In this age of environmental concerns and specially on this day celebrating our most precious natural resource - water, I implore you to use your powers to keep Saligao and Goa from deteriorating any further. As one of the 20 worldwide UN declared biodiverse sites, Goa has an international responsibility to protect its natural environment and a local responsibility to keep corrupt officials from destroying these few accessible havens for the future generations. Respectfully, Kevin Saldanha Mississauga, Canada. ----------------------------------- Full Address: Kevin Saldanha 1113 DreamCrest Road, Mississauga, Ontario CANADA L5V 1N6 Phone: 905 813-7787 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--W-E-B--S-I-T-E--=-=-=-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from Saligaonet | http://www.goacom.com/saligao_tinto/ ============================================================================ * Send e=mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (NOT saligaonet@goacom.com) * Leave SUBJECT blank <--- Commom Mistake !! * On first line of the BODY of your message, type: subscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL OR unsubscribe saligaonet YOUR.EMAIL Questions/Problems? Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
