|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our little land of Goa was called paradise because of its swaying palms and silver sands. There were vistas of virgin land as far as the eye could see, parted by sprawling rivers and a lazy, content and a susegado ambience in which the visitor was king. Then the hippies visited Goa in the late-1960s and ever since this haven of peace has never quite remained the same. Why, one may ask ? Well, there are a number of reasons but basically it is the price we pay for the supposed progress. Being put on the world map by these flower children opened its doors to tourists. The friendly nature of the Goans also added to this attraction. Unlike other parts of India, the local did not interfere with the lifestyle of the visitors and this included nudity on the beaches. It may have been our Westernised (read Portuguese) culture that contributed to this and these fun- loving tourists just loved to return this paradise. Under the Portuguese, Goa was mainly a postal economy state as there were not many jobs available. A few English-teaching schools meant jobs for Goans in East Africa and later the Gulf. These employees would remit money to their families. After Liberation things changed but with it came the deterioration of moral standards and being a small state with only 40 MLAs, floor-crossing became the exercise of the day and not much later they were known as the Chalis Chor or 40 thieves. The 1970s saw tourism grow by leaps and bounds. Not only were foreigners welcomed but the domestic tourist too flocked to Goa. Here, couples held hands and kissed on the streets, a Western practice much appreciated by the domestic tourist. The Carnival soon became a major draw and folks from Bombay and nearby cities came to Goa for the Carnival parade and its floats and where Francisco "Fanquit" Martins carved a niche for himself with tasteful floats that won many prizes, even at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. With this rush to Goa land prices escalated as never before. With the demand for housing going up the locals, (thanks to willing corrupt panchayat officials), converted agricultural land to urban for a hefty price. By now the 105-km-long coastal belt soon became a concrete jungle with many houses not occupied. Land which was a mere Rs 20 per square metre in a village like Bastora zoomed to a lofty Rs 8,000 with a host of haggling agents queuing up. It soon became a simple economic law of supply and demand but the North Indians were able to pay much more than the local Goan. Mining was another major problem as it ravaged the land. Under the Portuguese, there were only a few Hindu families involved, like the Dempos, Chowgules and Salgaonkars but later on these were changed to benami names to avoid taxation and many of the 40 MLAs made a killing over it. Mining is one of the most serious problems facing Goa and it must be dealt with on a war-footing. Tourism, we know, is a double-edged sword which cuts both ways. It brings in revenue but also raises the price of essential commodities so necessary for the Aam Aadmi and hence it needs clear-cut and consistent policies that can control it. As a shack-owner who doesn’t want to be named says "the rule to restrict foreigners visas to a few months is proving negative as they employ a good number of locals when they are here." The casinos is another issue staring the government in the face. It raised a hue and cry because Parrikar reduced the entrance fee from Rs 2,000 to Rs 500 though he defends the move by raising the renewal of licences. That it draws a good number of tourists cannot be denied but would that section be considered ideal. Even the number of boisterous, ogling tourists has risen sharply and many who formerly considered Goa an ideal getaway now have second thoughts. Shasank Samant, a journalist in his late-20s has pledged never to return to crowded Baga, which, along with Calangute, was where the hippies first pitched their tents. Remember British actor Jim Watson (who was here for the shooting of The Sea Wolves in 1980) warning against going the way of the Costa Brava in Spain which fell victim to saturation tourism and his words are proving prophetic.
|
||
|
|
||
