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NO MARATHI FOR GOA!
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NO MARATHI FOR GOA!

April 18- April 24, 2026, Stray Thoughts April 17, 2026 , by

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the drinking water at Prabhu Violleta complex in Dabolim continued to be contaminated. For a Saturday following the week when we discovered that Goa and indeed Panaji is a city of dying lakes and water bodies.
And a few stray thoughts when the drinking water at Prabhu Violleta complex in Dabolim continued to be contaminated. Fresh water sample checked by the Health Department showed that the water in the taps was not fit for drinking. There is a game of passing the buck. The Water Resources Department insists that the PWD water is not contaminated.
The problem is that as in the case of Mathai’s Ocean Park at Dona Paula, the Prabhu Violleta complex too depends on bore wells for its water supply. Apparently, the bore well water is contaminated because the sewage treatment plant is not functioning. So much so, the builder has been clearing the sewage with tankers, which are transported to the sewage plant. But the sewage plant works only during office hours.
It’s the vicious cycle. Now the Minister for Transport, Mauvin Godinho, has got into the act. Mauvin Godinho has started threatening the builder. In panic the builder has offered to return two years’ maintenance fees, since most of Goa’s come-lately new high-rise tower blocks do not do old-fashioned and more efficient co-operative society maintenance. In most cases even the conveyance, which means transfer of the property from the builder to the tenant, has not taken place. Many of the flats have been purchased on agreement sale and have no sale deed.
All these complexes, like Mathais Ocean Plaza and Prabhu Violette operate on maintenance agencies. The building infrastructure of STP plants and tanker water supplies is still managed by the builder. The STP plants are not or badly maintained and very often, particularly in coastal areas, raw sewage is dumped into the sea or river through hidden or open channels.
Similar disasters are waiting to happen in all the super luxury towers in Goa. None of them from Ananatam in Dona Paula to all the fancy towers in Cortalim have a drinking water connection from the PWD. They do not have an adequate sewage treatment plant. So all the Delhi types who buy the super luxury flats face the threat of diarrhea and typhoid and other water bound disease. The Pollution Control Board should make it mandatory to check source of tanker quality water and the functioning of the sewage treatment plants on a priority basis.

PANAJI HAD GOOD WATER BODIES
AND a few stray thoughts on our discovery anew that Goa and indeed Panaji has several lakes and water bodies, all used and now abused. I have often wondered why there is a Lake View Colony in the Campal precinct where there is no sign of a visible lake. Thanks to architect Hyacinth Pinto and microbiologist Raaisa Lemos Vaz I now know that Panaji like many other places in Goa is really made made of island settlements garlanded with water bodies like lakes, wells and wet khazan lands – it’s an intricate system of mud bandhs and nallah waterways like the St Inez waterway which has degenerated into a much encroached nallah of filth.

I learn that Panaji actually enjoyed mist coming in from the water bodies once upon a time much to the pleasure of the residents around about. Many residents today may not realize that Campal Colony, Caranzalem, Dona Paula, Miramar beach areas are located on covered up water bodies. Many of the buildings at St Inez are actually responsible for the encroachment and blockage of the vital artery water drainage system of the St Inez canal designed by the Portuguese time engineers who knew their tropical climate well courtesy the development of their various colonies in the east.
Unlike in the past, when the “manoose” was which was made of mud and could absorb water, these have been replaced by concrete barriers. Even the much-loved Campal-Miramar promenade created by Smart City projects have ineffectively blocked naturally aligned flow of water with the building of concrete walls. And so a Panjim of water bodies draining itself very well has now become a city of concrete jungle. There is no right of way for water to move smoothly. So now angry water full of sewage may be generously provided in the taps of residents of various Campal and Lake View colonies…when there’s a pipes breakdown. When body waters are distorted out of shape water gets trapped and the resulting tragedies emerge when the time is ripe.
As when the monsoon arrives and flooding will happen here, there and wherever town planning has messed it up with lack of commonsense. A Panjim which never flooded in the 70s now sees more flooding and will see even more flooding in the years to come. Mayor Rohit Monserrate has announced that it will take six months to appoint a consultant to restore the flow of water from the St Inez Nallah to the sea. We recall vividly how former mayor Surendra Furtado in his zeal once took a boat ride in a vessel doing cleaning up operations in the stinking, choked with filth St Inez nallah. Alas, he fell into the nallah and had a terrible learning lesson. Here’s hoping Rohit will have no such adventures in the now notoriously infamous St Inez nallah or once St Inez creek which once drained Panjim from the Altinho to the river Mandovi so well that Ponjekars remember fishing for fish in the waters of the creek…the fish were not toxic with carcinogenic heavy metals in those days of old.

RE-CONVENE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
AND a few stray thoughts on the demands for reconvening the session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. The budget session of the Goa State assembly was abruptly terminated under the excuse that the Ponda by-election was being held on April 9. It may be recalled that the by-election was cancelled on the orders of the High Court.
Under the excuse of the Ponda by-elections the BJP which has the majority passed the budget without any discussion. This also provided an excuse for Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant not to initiate the discussion on the TCP amendment bill proposed by Justice Ferdinho Rebello. Now the former chief justice has issued an ultimatum to the government and the governor to reconvene the assembly and for the first time Judge Rebello has openly spoken of a public agitation if the assembly is not convened.
Things are moving slowly in the Enough is Enough movement. Justice Rebello has promised to move the HC against the new offshore casino. There is no news on the huge mega 100 meter casino and for all we know it has already been sneaked in and is already parked in the Mandovi river near Reis Magos.

MAKING MARATHI OFFICIAL
AND a few stray thoughts on the demand of former RSS president Subhash Velingkar to make Marathi the official language of Goa. Velingkar apparently represents the Goa Maratha Samaj which claims to be made up of the descendants of Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj. Our chief minister Pramod Sawant also belongs to the Goa Maratha Samaj. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that the late Deenanath Mangeshkar, the father of late Lata and Asha Mangeshkar sisters, also belongs to the Goan Maratha Samaj. Going by the very name Maratha, this group is more comfortable with Marathi and was part of the movement for merger with Maharashtra.
But Maharashtra and Marathi have been rejected by the Konkani-loving people of Goa. The first time was during the Opinion Poll in 1967 when Goa rejected merger with Maharashtra. Subsequently, 20 years later, Goa rejected Marathi and declared Konkani as the official language. The real issue is the job. Knowledge of Konkani is essential for jobs in the Goa government but even Central government offices in Goa do not require it. The Maratha Samaj and Velingkar don’t understand that if Marathi is made the official language all Maharashtrians will apply for jobs in Goa. The bitter ground reality is that the GSB version of Konkani is not acceptable to the Bhandari Samaj. Which is why they and many Hindu families still speak Marathi at home.
The ground reality is that all the Marathi- medium government schools have closed down. Konkani is the mother tongue and Marathi will remain a “maushi.”

ORAL DEHYDRATION
AND a few stray thoughts on the oral dehydration controversy. We all know that children who suffer from dehydration, particularly in the hot summer months, are given oral rehydration. Most of the ORS (oral rehydratiion salts) powders have chemical additives. In the recent past a lot of new companies have entered the ORS companies with sugary sweet ORS powders and even ready bottled drinks. Many of these are very harmful for babies and adults.
 Now a pediatrician from Bengaluru had filed complaints with the Food & Drugs administration about sugary ORS drinks being marketed by targeting mothers worried about dehydration in their children. This is the deadly formulae that might expose babies to diabetes. The sad part is the Association of Pediatric Doctors did not come with the support of the Bengaluru doctors who were issued legal notices by the pharma companies.

CROSSING 80 MILESTONE
AND a few stray thoughts on discovering that all my old friends have already crossed the 80 years milestone. Recently, it was Thomosino Cardozo, the Romi Konkani champion and former speaker celebrated his 80th birthday. More recently Francisco Saldinha, famously charming debonair minister of Goa, announced his 80th birthday.
 Many veterans like Dr Francisco Colaco and Arvind Bhatikar have crossed into their 80s. I will be getting there soon too in a couple of years. Is 80 the new 70 as everyone seems to be imagining to live a little longer? Personally, I prefer quality of life to quantity of life and am currently not very happy battling the problems of staying alive in old age.

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