Development Has Damaged Goa’s Environment

Development Has Damaged Goa’s Environment



Development has damaged Goa’s environment Says Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Environment and Forests. It is indeed heartening to know that there is someone in the Government if not in Goa at least in Delhi, who is talking about facts and is holding his fort despite pressure from other ministries. It’s been known that the Road Transport and Highway Minister along with Civil aviation minister have been pushing Mr. Ramesh for NOC through protected land for roads and airport projects which Mr. Ramesh has refused on the grounds of environmental protection. I say good work Mr Jairam Ramesh even though he failed to protect our humble dwellings from the CRZ axe.

Stand for the truth and fight for the right or parish in the gutters of corruption. We do need development as long as it is constructive development and not destructive or at the cost of our ecology and our environment. If we go ahead with development at the cost of our ecology and our environment how long will we enjoy the fruits of the destructive development? What will happen to posterity when there in no fresh water to drink, no enough trees left to take in our carbon dioxide and give us oxygen? What will happen when, there is no land available for cultivation, as most the cultivable land is taken by mega projects bringing up concrete jungles and land that will be left, will be scorched and made barren by the infertile residue of mining dust and rejects? What will happen to people living in and around the mining areas as they have been breathing in the dangerous dust day in and day out because of the air pollution? Is this destructive development at the cost of our ecology, environment and life both animal and human, really worth it?



Mr. Ramesh rightly said that we should strike a balance between environment and development so that we live in harmony with nature and our surrounding, respect nature and we will survive a wee bit longer is the message which should be given out to the people.

Though Mr. Ramesh said the right things about protecting our environment, I was mush confused and amused as to what development he was referring to, after thinking for a long time I came to the conclusion that what he perceives as development, is the same sinister development that our over expressive and overbearing PWD Minister was referring to, namely mega projects. What constructive development have we witnessed in Goa? What has the government done to alleviate the water and power scarcity problem in Goa? Has there been any development in our educational policy? Has there been any developmental changes in our public health policy? Has there been even a marginal changes in our employment policy? Has the unemployed number decreased in any way? Has road safety improved in any way? Has crime and frauds especially by politicians come down in any way? Has our government done anything yet to stop illegal mining and deforestation? What has our government done to protect our fields, hills, mangroves, cummunidade lands and low lying fertile lands from builders and developers coming up with mega projects, that do not help us Goans nor can we afford them? Most importantly has governance improved in any way? The answers are frightening indeed and our politicians call it development! If at all there is development, it should be in these above categories, so that the quality of life in Goa improves only then, we can call it development, else it is just degeneration and destruction of our natural resources.

Goa’s green cover is fast depleting and the ugly bald hills and filled up mangroves and fertile low lying fields and the open craters left over by mining have become the landscapes at the moment, a host of oversized mega housing projects have covered most of our coast today, this summer has been the hottest and the rains are less than normal, this has been the effect of the attack on our ecology and environment and as things stand and the apathy of our politicians towards nature, future looks bleek and gloomy.

There is indeed a lot at stake in Goa at the moment and if we ignore it now, we will loose everything and posterity will curse us for not thinking of them and acting accordingly. I request Mr. Jairam Ramesh to put pressure on the Goa Government to stop illegal mining and take firm action against those involved in it without any bias. Protect our ecology and our environment at all cost. The Environment Ministry’s decision to grant Goa “Special Status” is much appreciated.


Freddy Agnelo Fernandes
Dubai - UAE

13/07/2010


Link article:
The government today put on hold granting of environment clearance for mining proposals in Goa till the state finalises its mineral policy.
In a letter to Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat, environment minister Jairam Ramesh conveyed his decision to put a moratorium on consideration of mining proposals for Goa till the state finalises its mineral policy. Kamat had earlier requested Ramesh to put on hold the environment clearances to proposals as the state was in the process of evolving a mineral policy.
“I am advising the officer concerned to return all the proposals to the proponents which are pending for consideration and not to accept any new proposals for the state of Goa,” Ramesh wrote in a letter to Kamat.
He said the Environment Ministry was also planning to conduct an environmental impact assessment study of all the mining activities across the country.
Ramesh said he was planning to rope in Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to conduct this study to identify remedial measures to reduce the impact on environment by mining activities.

Courtesy:DNA
February 22, 2010