The government needs to ascertain why people are angry with its policies
Goa seems to be in protest mode. Over the past few months, a number of infrastructure and project plans have seen significant protests and resistance, mainly over environmental, livelihood and procedural concerns. Officials might not agree, though.
Villagers in Chimbel are being applauded by environmentalists and concerned citizens for succeeding in getting two major government projects – Unity Mall and Prashasan Bhavan – moved out of their village. The government tried to justify the projects, especially the Unity Mall, even invoking the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the villagers stood their ground. The women from Chimbel have become an inspiration for many others across the state. The protest overall has reignited the embers in several villages.
Now, we are seeing residents in Assolda and Xelvona intensifying their stir against the two proposed controversial jetty projects, which the locals allege are meant for coal transportation. The situation escalated to the extent that, during a major protest outside the Environment Department office, their local BJP MLA himself had to join the protesters. Then, in a quiet hinterland village of South Goa, angry residents of Mirabag stormed the Sanvordem panchayat office, demanding the scrapping of a 50 MLD bandhara project, which they fear will be devastating for the village. There has also been concern over Bondvol Lake in Santa Cruz. There is disquiet in many parts of the state. Locals are opposed to “mega housing projects” coming up in their villages, raising objections about water scarcity, procedural lapses and demographic changes.
This list is by no means complete. At one level, there is a combination of environmental concerns, threats to local livelihoods, inadequate community consultation, lack of transparency and potential violations of regulatory norms. Villagers also fear disruption of ecosystems (lakes, rivers, mangroves), waterlogging or flooding, loss of agricultural land and fishing resources, pollution and top-down planning that bypasses gram sabhas and local voices. Activists contend that Goa is witnessing changes in its landscape, with mega projects in villages, widening of roads to cater to “new settlers,” landfilling, felling of trees, hill-cutting, etc., all because of the government’s land conversion policies.
Last month, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Ferdino Rebello, while launching the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement, called for repealing Section 39A of the TCP Act. The reason is that it is considered the main provision that allows land-use conversions through individual applications, bypassing the Regional Plan. This is now the main demand of the people protesting at Azad Maidan, where St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar is on a hunger strike. Determined to get Section 39A repealed, protesters on Monday gathered outside the residence of the TCP Minister to put pressure on the government.
On the surface, it almost appears as if Goa has turned “anti-development,” opposing everything and anything. Yet this small state and its people may now need a new 21st-century compact plan to spell out what kinds of development are sustainable, desirable, truly welcome and socially useful.
People’s anger is visible against government policies, the top-down approach to development, lack of transparency in governance and the arrogance of some ministers. The argument in Justice Rebello’s 10-point charter – that, on the principle of intergenerational equity, the hills and forests need to be preserved for future generations – seems to be gaining traction. Time will tell whether activists and leaders of opposition political parties will remain united to take the agitation to its logical end. On the other hand, it also remains to be seen how the government will tackle the agitation. One question being asked is whether intra-party politics within the ruling party will come into play.
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