To Goanet - Two days ago, I requested Matanhy Saldanha and Shashi Kamat (GMAS Secretary) to accompany me on my special "Top 10 Atrocities in Goa" tour. A day or two earlier, I had taken a similar circuit with Soter D'Souza. It was part of my highly classified mission to woo upstanding Goan Catholics over to 'my' side. Alas, this nefarious plot hatched by the Hindu Right was comprehensively busted by Vidyadhar Gadgil, the desperately wannabe guardian of Goan Catholics on Goanet.
Moving along - we swung by the site of the new project by Delanco (a front company of DLF) on the hill in Reis Magos, facing Panjim. See my earlier posting or two on the subject. This project is advertised on Delanco's website - http://delanco.in/goa.htm To get to this location, take the road uphill past the Reis Magos panchayat office, leading to the Indian Navy's INS Mandovi facility. Delanco's project is cheek by jowl the Navy campus. The first order of business for a Dilliwallah anywhere is the erection of a gate - http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/del-1.jpg Past the gate, two fresh dirt paths leading into the forest along the hill are seen (notice the small station for your friendly guard imported from Orissa/Bihar whose only job is to use up Goa's reserves of precious oxygen) - http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/del-2.jpg >From the site, this is the view of the Mandovi River and Panjim. You can see why this is prime land. As I said earlier, Villa Paradiso is soon going to welcome a little brother - http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/del-3.jpg Earlier that morning, we took stock of the destruction in Paithona village. To refresh your memory, the atrocity we are talking about - http://www.crecgoa.com/meadows/index.html In November 2007 when I first brought it to the attention of Goanet, this was the sight - http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/paithona-nov2007.jpg Considerable progress has been made since - http://www.parrikar.org/images/samples/paithona-april2008.jpg And that was merely a warm-up. The fellows are gearing up for another launch in Verem - http://www.crecgoa.com/chowgule_palmyras.htm Obiter dicta: (a) I have obtained the papers of the Delanco project through the RTI Act. (b) If a practicing architect tells you that he or she wants to save Goa, the right thing to do is, laugh him or her out of town. (c) We are witnessing the dismantling of Goa in real time by outsiders in collaboration with Goan politicos & mine-owners, and the consequent emasculation of Goans. Brace yourself for the coming reign of Emperors Sharma, Singh, Ahuja with the odd Mr Robinson thrown in. Regards, r
