Mopa: Manohar’s dream, people’s nightmare?-Herald

Mopa: Manohar’s dream, people’s nightmare? Anthony J Simoes Since October 2012, mining in Goa has come under a cloud, thanks to some cloud computing by Claude. In September 2012, Manohar was on Cloud Nine as he took great pride in stopping mining in cahoots with the rain gods. For five years before that, he blew a lot of hot air at an assembly as he played to the gallery. The mine-owners know how to deal with such prattle from Manohar! And they did it in style!!! In fact, Manohar produced so much hot air that his tourism in charge, Dilip, wants to exploit it. He is planning to use hot-air balloons to take the more adventurous tourists for an aerial view of garbage-strewn Goa. From where they will be treated to the sight of trees festooned with plastic bags. The guide will call them garbage plants. No wonder they call him Dilip the Lip. Ropeways, revolving restaurants sitting atop tall towers near the Baga beach… guides will point to fishing-boats out at sea trying their best to save the fish from drowning. Fish are now endangered species, thanks to over-fishing. Nowadays, Manoharbab is busy inventing excuses for justifying an international airport at Mopa. He must be really desperate, going by his far-out justifications for Mopa. Some of his ‘explanations’ sound more fishy than Dilip’s stories about our fishermen protecting our fish from drowning, for posterity. No wonder they want to build a world-class aquarium at Miramar. In another decade, those might be the only fish around to show future generations! Eleven square kilometres of land acquisition at Mopa, will affect hundreds of farming families. Not to mention horticulturists, pastoralists and graziers. This, from a government that swears by its intention to give a boost to agriculture! The contradictions are piling up, and if they could be converted to brick and mortar, would give us that tower double quick. Then comes the double-speak par excellence. Mopa Airport will act as an export-hub for the ~ hold your breath ~ agricultural produce of Nashik, Kolhapur and Hubli!!! Manohar’s desperation goes further. Pernem taluka can be turned into an industrial/engineering hub for manufacturing of components for the automobile and aircraft manufacturers of Europe and North America. The parts will be airlifted from Mopa International Airport. This will be in addition to the comings and goings of eight million tourists each year. Half a dozen golf-courses and one dozen five star hotels will generate enough jobs for the farmers displaced ~ as gardeners, sweepers, taxi-drivers, toilet-attendants...caddies? The worst part of all comes as a veiled threat! If we don’t build the airport soon, then that ogre, Jaffer, will start mining bauxite and soon Pernem will meet the same fate as Sanguem, in terms of environmental degradation. Apparently, when Ramakant was made law minister, he had asked his replacement from Mandrem ~ The Deu ~ to see that no mining lease is granted for bauxite mining at Mopa. But this god of big and small things was a true politician. In quick time, while Deve G slept in a parliament, he junked his principles at the altar of politics. Satanic temptation and 30 pieces of silver later, Jaffer is fighting for his mining rights in court. The self-righteous hindutva brigade would have us believe we are witnessing a tussle between good and evil. Angels versus Satan ~ in the Satanic verses. The farmers of Mopa will be re-christened as ‘collateral damage’. On this battlefield for an airfield, it’s both, the people and the grass that suffers the most. Sorry George Bernard Shaw! http://www.oheraldo.in/newscategory/Middle/274