In small Goa, big developmental projects constantly attract local protests By Pamela D'Mello
Panaji, Goa: A series of high profile projects flagged by the Goa government have run into trouble with local protestors --- largely over perenially-contentious land acquisitions. The latest in a line of projects to hit a road block is a long pending tourism industry effort to lay out an 18-hole international standard golf course. While the government-private joint venture identified land on a sprawling sea face hilltop in south Goa, the areas's local MLA has stated that villagers were opposed to giving up the 10,000 sq m required. Negotiations are still on to clear the green for the golf course, projected as necessary to scale up Goa's tourism market to high spending business and leisure travellers. Days earlier chief minister Pratapsing Rane dismissed statements from regional opposition parties, who said the government's project for a North-South six lane expressway would leave many homeless. He said road mapping authorities had taken care to ensure the trajectory would affect minimum houses. Critics though point out that the parallel highway, initially conceieved to complement a new airport, was superflous since the airport itself is now temporarily on hold. The state's critical rural landscape would be affected by the 90 metre wide tarmac ribbon, losing farm space to bitumen, they say. One regional party has threatened to campaign against the expressway, even as the administration indicated it was going ahead with ground pegging exercises. Another mega project to situate an information technology park in a suburban village plateau has met with protest, since the site includes green patches which attract birds and birdwatchers. Big developmental projects constantly attract local protest, since scenic placid self contained villages react to ceding public and private farm and and green areas to urbanisation and commercial activity, Rumblings had initially greeted a IT habitat project laid out in the upmarket Dona Paula residential area, home to the state's whose who. The project inauguration however went through, earlier this year. Projects for a cricket stadium had to be shifted while contentious centralised garbage dump sites were abandoned following protests. In the political race to demonstrate development milestones before an upcoming election, the Congress party sees itself as a victim, paying the price for being more democratic and therefore a soft target for protestors. "Activists only come out of the woodwork when the Congress is in power" says Congress MLA Jeetendra Deshprabhu, referring to the calm that previous regimes enjoyed. (ENDS) Pamela D'Mello is Goa correspondent for The Asian Age.