I hope the below makes some sense to likes of Fredrick Noronha, Mario Goviea; as to why we have to prevent such things happening in Goa; i,e. have controlled migration subject to Goan Interests!! Message: 12 Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:06:18 +0530 From: jorge dsouza <jorge...@gmail.com> To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: [Goanet] RURAL MIGRANT's in BOMBAY - BURDEN ON CITY INFRASTRUCTURE Message-ID: <e6b80ff10912182236h6c1623d6r3ddd285e02244...@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
When a poor man from a sterile, lifeless village with nothing to satiate the hunger in his stomach, or heart, comes in search of the proverbial pot of gold to Bombay. Once in the city, he is confronted with the problem of finding a roof over his head. It would be simplistic to think that a disempowered man comes to a city like Bombay, chooses a piece of land unbridled and decides to set up his shanty. What is not simplistic, however, and a part of the truth puzzle, is the way the land mafia operates. It grabs land and then rents, leases out or sells it to the poor man looking for a roof over his head. In short, in a modern, urban setting you have a carefully constructed feudal set-up where the land-grabber -- read Mafia -- more or less owns the people living on it. Possessing one more part of the truth puzzle are the bureaucrats. These modern-day 'feudal rent collectors' with the right kind of grease make the impossible possible. Most of it is euphemistically called 'legalisation process'. Whether it is electricity and water connections or ration and ID cards, everything is available for a price. In a burgeoning city with little or no natural land, builders enjoy tremendous power. They, in turn, fit a part of the jigsaw puzzle. They are a rich source of funding for the ever-hungry politicians, and in turn are allowed a free use of the muscle of the mafia and the bureaucratic ink of the formidable civic administration. Politicians fit the other part of the truth puzzle. Power is what the politicians want and, fortunately or unfortunately for them, it flows from the ballot boxes. What better way to get ballot boxes filled than have captive audiences, which the land mafia gladly provides, of course, for a price. Putting together the pieces makes for an ugly picture. But that ugly picture is the truth. Almost 60 per cent of Bombay's population of 18 million plus lives in slums. That is a staggering figure by any standard; something which any city cannot be proud of. The endless cycle of slum demolition and rehabilitation cannot end till the incestuous network between the land mafia, bureaucracy, builders and politicians is not shattered. That incestuous network cannot be dismantled till you make sure that men and women do not migrate from rural to urban areas under distress and because of dispossession. A distressed, dispossessed man is ripe for exploitation. The real urban solution lies in men and women in villages finding no reason to shift to cities. In concrete terms, the UPA government should invest time and money in agriculture, adding value to it and making it an 'industry' good enough to provide sustainable employment for 12 whole months and a robust rural development model that does not force men and women to flock to Bombay city. Jorge D'souza jorge...@gmail.com Bombay. -- Please post your comments on my Blog: http://goanidentity.blogspot.com/ Please also see below: 1. Benaulim Village Action Committee: http://www.bvacbenaulim.blogspot.com/ 2. "Rape of Goa" : http://www.parrikar.com/blog/the-rape-of-goa/ 3. MAND - an adivasi-rights resource centre : http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/ 4. EVERY GOAN SHOULD SEE THIS VIDEO: http://infochangeindia.org/Infochange-documentary.html 5. For the Love of Konkani: http://www.radiogoa.net/ 6. Goa's Identity Movement website: http://www.goamag.net/gim 7. Official Government Site NRI Office (GOA): http://www.globalgoans.org.in/