Like oxygen, the environment is always with us, and when there is a shortage there is a problem.
No activity - economic or not - can ignore the environment without the roof falling on our heads, metaphorically, at least. For decades now we have witnessed tiles and rafters and other bric-a-brac falling on our heads. We can no longer afford to wait for the entire roof to collapse on our heads once and for all. Tourism or any other economic system has to be sustainable. Take mining, for instance: while a few people made millions by simply removing the ore from the ground and selling it abroad, hundreds had their fields reduced to piles of dust making agriculture an uneconomic activity of the past with thousands of people having to pay for the greed of a few! No way can this style of business be sustainable or acceptable. Goa is now numero uno in India in plastic waste output and the number of registered sex traffickers. Are these achievements of which we can be proud? Can’t we do better? We are informed the whole area from Velsao to Cavelossim is one big sand dune by experts in the field. What are we going to do about it? Go about it in the same way as we did with mining - until we reach a dead end? A middle ground has to be found which is a sustainable solution. The concern for the environment and the realization of the importance of sand dunes is something to clap about with both our hands. Decades ago when the first 5-star hotels made their foray on the beaches of south Goa their first act of indulgence was to flatten the sand dunes which were a few meters high. Images available should be compared to the present state of the sand dunes and the hotels made to restore the sand dune to the way they were. Images and pictures of the sand dunes should be available to the public. The 5-star hotels should not be allowed to act like mega monsters who get away with anything. The number of shacks should be regulated and no one person allowed to own more than one shack. The much-hyped shacks as a source of employment looks like a sick joke on the Goan voter. The always predictable Goan who fights for the rights of Goans is the first to betray the Goans. Some shack owners have given their shacks to non-Goans to run the shacks by hiring non-Goans. For the Goan owner who was given the seasonal shack license and is now sitting and sipping a beer or caju fenny somewhere the non-Goan has to work harder so the Goan can enjoy the entire season without any disturbance. How is this manageable? It is simple: reduce the quality of the food and increase the prices. Also sell drugs, to increase the profit margin. A win-win scenario for everyone? Drugs are available all over Goa for a price. The Act which is coming must make it clear as to the intent and purpose of the Bill. Our politicians belong to the rainbow political party and have no problem with lying, smiling and lying some more, even hugging the voter or whoever while filling their suitcases to the full. If the Bill is about the environment and restoring the sand dunes to its original shape and size it has to be made crystal clear to everyone so we don’t realize a few years later we had been taken for a royal ride!
