Home / April 04- April 10, 2026 / Stray Thoughts / NO MORE PROTESTS AT AZAD MAIDAN?
NO MORE PROTESTS AT AZAD MAIDAN?
No Comments on NO MORE PROTESTS AT AZAD MAIDAN?

NO MORE PROTESTS AT AZAD MAIDAN?

April 04- April 10, 2026, Stray Thoughts April 3, 2026 , by

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Mirabag protestors that the bhandara or dam project over the Zuari river would be scrapped. For a Saturday following the week when the by-elections in the Ponda assembly constituency. For a Saturday following the week when the tragic fact that the free physiotherapy NGO. For a Saturday following the week when the few remaining wells in the Sanquale region which are reportedly smelling of petrol.
AND a few stray thoughts on when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Mirabag protestors that the bhandara or dam project over the Zuari river would be scrapped. It may be recalled that the Water Resources Department had proposed to build a dam across the Zuari river to provide water to the industrial sector at Verna industrial estate. There was a suspicion that the project was intended to benefit the Adanis who are importing low grade coal from Australia. The locals have pointed out that the water at the dam project site is saline and cannot be used for drinking or irrigation purposes. The government was accused of taking locals for a ride as usual.
A meeting called by the Water Resources Department ended in a brawl. The locals accused the department of misleading them with incorrect and false information. The agitation was on for over 40 days but finally the CM, Pramod Sawant, and Water Resources Minister Shubash Shirodkar, had not given a firm commitment about scrapping the project.
The protestors decided to move to the Azad Maidan in Panjim to widen the movement. Historically, when any protest moves to Azad maidan it attracts all the Opposition politicians. The Pramod Sawant administration has the bitter experience of the Revolutionary Goans hunger strike against permissions given under 39A in St Andre. The CM was forced to go to Azad maidan to pacify the agitators.
However, this time around the police were called out in full force to prevent the Mirabag protestors from gathering at the Azad maidan. Which is ironical as Azad was under curfew in the traditional protest venue. There was outrage among the Mirabag protestors and the political parties, the protestors were angered over the fact that vehicles proceeding to Azad maidan were stopped.
Pramod Sawant decided as in the past that it was wiser to accept the demand to close the project. The CM announced that the bhandara would not be built at Mirabag. It would no doubt surface somewhere else along Zuari river. Clearly ahead of the by-elections in Ponda scheduled for April 9 the CM did not want to take any chances.

PONDA ELECTION
AND a few stray thoughts on the by-elections in the Ponda assembly constituency. The BJP not surprisingly gave the ticket to Ravi Naik’s son, Ritesh Naik. This despite strong objections from local BJP cadres. Interestingly, the BJP is campaigning on the legacy of Ravi Naik rather than the performance of the double-engine government. There is no talk about the achievements of Narendra Modi or the Pramod Sawant government. The BJP is campaigning on the legacy of Ravi Naik who is not part of the BJP. In fact, Ravi Naik is a defector from the Congress. The late Ravi Naik has always been an opportunist who jumped from party to party in his own self-interest. Ravi’s son does not have any record of social or public work.
Ideally, the BJP should have fielded the physiotherapist Ketan Bhatikar who lost the last election contesting on the MGP ticket very narrowly. Historically, Ponda has been an MGP seat. However, Sudin Dhavlikar who heads the MGP supports the son of Ravi Naik. Presumably, the BJP is trying to retain the support of the Bhandari samaj. The kingmaker is Swami Brahmeshwaranand, the Bhandari samaj swami. The swami has remained neutral so far.
Arvind Kejriwal visited the swami on his recent visit to Goa seeking his support for the AAP candidate. The BJP has started a campaign of mudslinging against Dr Ketan Bhatikar. The election is important to the BJP as it is a trial run for the statewide assembly elections to be held early next year. A loss in Ponda could dent the image of Pramod Sawant.

FREE PHYSIOTHERAPY!
AND a few stray thoughts on the tragic fact that the free physiotherapy NGO Star Centres (9850168166). The Star located at old Caranzalem, is not widely known. The physiotherapy center started in memory of the Goan Rites owner Edwin Sequeira to offer free to those patients who need physiotherapy but are unable to afford it. The center, which recognizes that mobility may be a problem for many patients, even arranges transport to the center for those who want to avail of the free physiotherapy facility. It is fully equipped but is not attracting enough patients to justify a full-time physiotherapist. At the moment it only has a part time physiotherapist who is available only in the evenings. Earlier, residents of some old age homes were brought to the center for physiotherapy.
This reminds us that surgeons can only help to a limited extent in neurological and ortho cases. The ortho surgeon may be able to give you a fresh set of knees and even hips through transplants. But the surgeon cannot help you walk again, this is the skill of the physiotherapist who restores mobility to the body. It is the physiotherapist who restores mobility even in the case of patients who have sustained a fracture. Physiotherapy is essential to restore mobility for stroke patients and even in the case of heart surgery to restore lung capacity. I recall that one of the major attractions of the Asian Heart Hospital in Mumbai is its state-of-the-art physiotherapy department Even after discharge the patient was attended to at home.
But physiotherapy does not come cheap. The average fee per an hour of physiotherapy has risen to Rs1,000 to 1,500 depending on the status of the physiotherapist and this is out of the reach of even the middle class patiens. In the out-patient department (OPD) of the GMC , the busy physio directs the patient’s attendant on how to make the patient do his or her physiotherapy exercises. Physios may not have time to attend to the patients themselves in putting them through their physiotherapy exercises and therapies.
At the minimum, even a newly minted physio charges Rs500 per session. Patients in Panjim can and should avail of the free physiotherapy treatment available at the NGO center at Caranzalem. Although this is the like the chicken and egg story. If there are no patients it is not viable for the NGO to hire a full time physio on duty and without the full time physio patients won’t come to the center to waste time waiting.

SANQUOLE WELLS SMELL OF PETROL
AND a few stray thoughts on the few remaining wells in the Sanquale region which are reportedly smelling of petrol. The Sanquale plateau houses the huge oil tanks of the Indian Oil Company. The oil which arrives at the Mormugoa port is brought via giant pipes to the mega storage facility. The plateau also plays host to naptha which is very inflammable and is used by Zuari Agro. The tanks are jointly managed by Zuari and Indianoil.
I recall that there were strong protests against the location site as it fell close to the naval airport INS Hansa. The Dabolim airport is used to train pilots of the Navy based here. If there is an air crash and it lands anywhere close to the oil storage tankers it would result in a disaster. This has happened in the past as when two naval aircraft collided and the debris falling close to the Zuari fertilizer factory. There was probably some leakage in the oil pipes from the port to the oil tankers. The leakage and the smell were detected by the local parish priest of the Jose Vaz church in Sancoale. So much so that water in the wells in Goa in general are facing several threats. If the Sancoale ground water is affected there may be several of the Prabhu Violetta incident where sewage water got into the water pipeline. Cyril Fernandes has moved the Goa human rights body over the denial of essential needs like water by the builders to residents of today’s tower buildings coming up in quick succession.

BLAME DONALD TRUMP
AND a last stray thought for yet another Saturday. The oil crisis created by Donald Trump has come home to roost. And now the US is facing the consequences of the extreme stress on global oil resources. The price of crude oil which averaged $30 to $40 per barrel has exceeded $100. There’s no sign of Iran willing to open up the Strait of Homruz through which 40% of the world’s crude and gas requirements have to pass. The destruction of crude oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have severely affected supply.
India, for instance, imports over 70% of its LPG from Qatar. But the crude shortage is also affecting road transport and flights. The price of petrol per liter which averaged $2 per liter has jumped to $4 in the US. No wonder the No King movement is spreading like wild fire in the US these days.

No related posts.

Search

Back to Top