By Rajan Narayan
AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar proposed the establishment of a nuclear power plant in Goa. For a Saturday following the week when the smart city projects blocked the pathway for persons with disability. For a Saturday following the week when there was a series of suicides on the campus of the Birla Institute of Technology. For a Saturday following the week when Narendra Modi in his first public address after Operation Sindoor denied any mediation by US President Donald Trump. For a Saturday following the week when the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) sent a huge delegation to the Cannes Film Festival costing over Rs1 crore.
NO TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
AND a few stray thoughts on Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar proposing the establishment of a nuclear power plant in Goa. However, Goa is a tourism destination, it cannot have highly polluting thermal power stations. Thermal power stations use coal to produce energy. There are no dams over the rivers of Goa that produce hydropower. Goa’s requirement for power is very small compared to the neighboring states and the rest of the country. The nuclear plant in Goa will kill the tourism industry in the state. It may be recalled that Goa had strongly objected to the Kaiga nuclear plant located in Karwar.
A nuclear power plant in Goa is not needed to meet the power requirements of Goa, it will only end up supplying power to Karnataka. A nuclear power plant will also increase the vulnerability of Goa to terror strikes. Goa is already on the radar of terrorists and enemies as it is the largest naval airbase in the country. Indeed, the Dabolim airport is controlled by the Navy. The reason why Dabolim has been isolated is that between 8 am and 12 pm in the morning, it is reserved for naval flights. Dabolim gives preference to naval flights over civil flights.
That is the reason why the Centre decided to develop Mopa airport. Airports are the first casualty if there is a war. There are as many as 35 major airports in north India, including the tourist state of Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan and these were shut when the recent Operation Sindoor started. Goa needs a peaceful climate for tourism to continue to expand.
Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant should say no to the Centre’s proposal for a nuclear power plant in Goa. The focus should be on improving the efficiency of Goa’s Electricity department. The transmission and distribution losses are very high. Moreover, major industrial units and even government departments owe hundreds of crore to the Electricity department as arrears. We need quality power both for industry and the domestic sector.
SMART CITY PROJECTS
AND a few stray thoughts on the smart city projects blocking pathways for persons with disability. The Minister for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Virendra Kumar has condemned the infrastructure violations by Smart City Project contractors. In a number of areas in now smart city access to pavements has been blocked by contractors. Never mind that the repeated digging up to lay electric cables has made life difficult even for ordinary people in Panaji.
The problem is that the restoration of the roads and pavements after the digging is very shoddy, making it dangerous for even able pedestrians, let alone disabled people. Meanwhile, the State government claimed that from May 20 it will conduct surveys to identify individuals with disabilities under the scheme for providing them with wheelchairs and other equipment.
The government claims it is planning to have a house-to-house survey. On paper, the Department of Social Welfare supplies hearing aids, wheelchairs, battery-operated tricycles, adjustable clutch elbows, foldable walkers and artificial limbs. In practice, however, the devices only go to those recommended by friends and relatives of VIPs. Also few trust promises of government schemes which promise the devices will be delivered within 40 days of assessment.
First of all the eligibility rules are ridiculous. The beneficiary has to prove a 40% disability and family income should be less than Rs22,000. There are no Goan families with an income of less than Rs 22,000. So much so, the main beneficiaries are the migrant vote banks of local politicians. We have seen wheelchairs provided in the geriatric and the super specialty OPD in the GMC. In the Geriatric Ward, the majority of the wheelchairs are in urgent need of repairs. In the super specialty OPD, none of the wheelchairs have cushioning, making it difficult for patients who have to sit on hard metal surfaces. It would be much better for the government to extend financial assistance to persons who are unable to buy their own devices.
REIS MAGOS LUXURY VILLAS
AND a few stray thoughts on objections to the luxury villa project in Reis Magos. It may be recalled that the Town & Country Planning (TCP) has given permission for a super luxury villa project on the hill slopes of Reis Magos to a Delhi builder. This is very close to the heritage church and prison of Reis Magos Fortress.
A petitioner, Roshan Luke Mathai, has moved the high court over the large-scale hill cutting happening at Reis Magos on land designated as orchard land. Trees have also been cut down in the no development hilly zone of the grand heritage structure of the Reis Magos and village lands. The contractor claims that they have secured all the 17 permissions required for developing the land and building super luxury villas, each set in an area of 10,000 square meters. The super luxurious villas are expecting to cost Rs30 to Rs50 crore each.
It is surprising that the project has been given environmental clearance. It is suspected that the Delhi builder has strong political connections at the Centre. But in Goa of course TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane and Environment Minister Alexio Sequeria are always willing to help builders convert Goa into a concrete jungle like say Mumbai or Delhi or Chennai.
SUICIDES AT BITS
AND a few stray thoughts on the series of suicides on the campus of the Birla Institute of Technology. In the last few months, over four students have committed suicide. Students have blamed it on the work pressure they are under at BITS. The study schedule is relentless, the competitive pressure is intense. Pressure put on students is forcing them into desperate acts of suicide. Parents have bitterly complained that the institutes like BITS have failed to address the problems of students.
The majority of students are from outside Goa. We recall a visit to the campus some years ago when we thought the students were kept as prisoners on the campus. They were not allowed to go out of the campus and even if they did they had to observe strict curfew hours.
Apparently, parents are colluding with the institute in strict curbing of students because of the fear that they may become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Parents from out of Goa are reluctant to admit their children in engineering colleges in Goa because of the easy availability of alcohol and drugs. The best way of dealing with the brightest students who come to institutions like BITs is to treat them like responsible adults. The Indian Institute of Technology authority provides a great deal of freedom to students right from the first year itself. Moreover, students are exposed to a wide range of extracurricular activities, to develop an all-around personality. Certainly, the pressure on students to perform must be reduced. There must be more scope for innovation.
ESG AT CANNES
AND a few stray thoughts on the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) sending a huge delegation to the Cannes Film Festival at the cost of over Rs1 crore to the exchequer. Admittedly, the Cannes Film Festival in France is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Even before the first IFFI, a large team from Goa, headed by the then CEO of ESG, Sanjit Rodrigues, was sent to Cannes. Thereafter, every year, an ESG delegation goes to France to learn how to conduct better film festivals.
This year again an ESG delegation is going including CEO Asvin Chandru, general manager Mrunal Walke and officials Pravin Prabhu, Siddesh Sane and Aruv Narvekar. Significantly, neither the CEO or the general manager are part of the permanent staff of the ESG. The long-term PR manager of the ESG, Vrundawan Raikar, who plays a key role in the ground level running of IFFI Goa, has not been included in the delegation. We also do not understand why ESG vice-chairperson, Delilah Lobo, is not part of the delegation. Delilah has definitely made a difference to the organization and presentation of of IFFI Goa.
Former CEO Ankita Mishra, who led the delegation last year, has admitted that no experts from the fields of film or culture have been included in the delegation. Instead of sponsoring officials, the ESG should have sponsored Goan filmmakers and technical experts like Shirish Desai and cinematographerS of Goan origin. It has become the practice of government organizations to enjoy free holidays at the expense of taxpayers.
Cannes has lot of lessons to teach ESG and the Directorate of Film Festivals. The unfortunate part is that even after a few decades, IFFI in Goa does not have a permanent infrastructure. The most important venue, the Kala Academy, is in worse shape than ever before although the first row was removed to make it more film-friendly. Last year, all the interactions of filmmakers and the master classes were held at the Kala Academy. A major complaint against the ESG is that it takes months to clear the bill of various contractors, including the media.
MODI DENIAL
AND a last stray thought on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first public address after Operation Sindoor denying any mediation by US President Donald Trump. Modi insisted that Operation Sindoor has not been called off but is only on pause button. There are claims that severe damage has been done not only to terrorist but also Pakistan airbases. The military commander briefing the press admitted that there has been damage to the Indian defense establishment houses, but are not willing to share details.
The tragedy is that while international media has reported losses suffered by both India and Pakistan, there is no independent confirmation in by Indian mainstream media. The TV channels continue the war in their studios. The TRP ratings have fallen sharply after the ceasefire was declared.