Goa’s Dangerous Roads and a Treacherous Government -Soter

 published as Lead Article in Oheraldo on October 28, 2024

Almost everyday, the news portals have some or the other report on road accidents across the State being flashed, many of which are fatal. The lethal compromise on road engineering and safety codes by the government which endangers the life of Road Users, more so the Vulnerable Road Users, is nothing short of covert road terrorism. The root cause for Goa’s dangerous road conditions gets concealed behind a screen of Road Safety Weeks conducted from time to time by the traffic authorities.

Yet another Road Safety Week 2024 was observed in Goa, a few days ago, with hardly any respite from the chaos and fatalities on the roads. Some of us have gone grey with being doped with hope at public hearings and interactions on road safety conducted by the traffic management agencies. The mere formality and tokenism in the organising of these road safety shows can be seen in the type of activities and choice of the target groups. Politicians use such occasions to market themselves, while the concerned traffic agencies are only interested in decorating their activity reports and exhausting the share of the annual budgetary allocation. The Road Safety and Traffic Management Committee at the Panchayat level set up with much hype is now more of a decoration, devoid of any officially notified guidelines on its functions.

The road safety awareness programs hardly go beyond targeting school and college students or factory workers who are a readymade audience. It’s nothing more than talks, field trips or rallies with students marching on the streets and police breaking records in booking traffic violations. Amidst a chaotic and lawless environment on roads, one finds it difficult to understand how the setting up of selfie stations for students to take selfies with road safety heroes, field trips to Panjim’s intelligent traffic management system and road safety awareness clip competitions are going to improve safety conditions on Goa’s roads.

Sometime ago, in a ‘chai pe charcha’ among friends on road discipline, a parent narrated an incident about being stuck in a traffic jam on his way to reach his child to school. Being on a two-wheeler, and as it was getting late, he decided to ride his bike on the pavement and proceed further as the rest were doing. He later realized that he had set a bad example for his child. Some days later, being caught in a similar jam, he waited in the queue. The child was quick in prompting him to go along the pavement. Embarrassed, this parent used this opportunity to confess to his child that what he had done the other day was unlawful and will not do so in future, even if it would mean reaching late to the school. What he told his child was, “it will be better for us to leave home a little earlier.” How many such responsible or exemplary elders who will not compromise on road discipline are children privileged to find nowadays?

If, the objective of a road safety awareness campaign is meant to bring about a behavioural shift in young people, then it is obvious that the knowledge imparted in the campaign also needs to be reinforced beyond the school premises, in the homes and the community. How many of our young people have

such role models in their elders at home or in the community when it comes to road discipline?

The road safety hinges around several factors, which may involve the road alignments, road surface, banking of roads, service lanes, bus bays, signage, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, carrying capacity, and so on, and thereafter the Road Users’ awareness, skills and discipline. Most of the IRC specified safety standards for road infrastructure and safety are terribly ignored or compromised. Tackling the causes for Goa’s unsafe roads in isolation from each other has become a convenient ploy to cover up governance failures and entertain the public with a blame game to dodge responsibility. The road contractors are made the scapegoats for corrupt governance.

When it comes to Road Users, their attitude and behaviour is as pathetic as the physical road conditions. Though it may sound harsh, the lunacy witnessed on roads is more about weaponisation of money power and technology by an educated illiteracy and idiocy. The ‘goykarponn’ of care, concern and compassion seems to have vanished on the Goan roads. It’s now the ‘might is right’ from India’s ‘cow belt’ which has taken over the streets, while ‘civility’ and the ‘right of way’ are probably considered an offensive legacy of colonial rule for a berserk nationalism. Can a supremacist, casteist and bigoted mindset conditioned to bully and lynch be expected to think and behave differently when on the road? What makes matters worse is the prejudiced and preferential treatment to offenders by the police and the political patronage to cover up or play down certain traffic offences.

Perhaps, we need to move beyond that populist fixation with over-speeding, rent-a-cars and drunk driving which is generated by the propaganda machinery of an insensitive government. To paint the ‘Outsider’ as villain, tourist or migrant, is nothing but a ploy by authorities responsible for road safety to deflect the blame for their own blunders. It hardly requires much expertise for a common man who travels on Goa’s roads to understand that the reasons for the deadly road conditions and chaos are primarily the failure of governance and corruption.

The dangerous road conditions cannot be seen in isolation from a societal collapse. The failure of society to self-regulate and self-discipline itself and its extra dependence on police to enforce law and order is a worrying sign. How can Goans expect a dirty tourism and corrupt governance to ensure secure homes and safer roads?

(The author has worked with community initiatives related to Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, HIV/AIDs Prevention, Panchayati Raj, Anti- Corruption, Environment Protection and Social Justice.)

https://www.heraldgoa.in/edit/goas-dangerous-roads-and-a-treacherous-government/415084#:~:text=It%20hardly%20requires%20much%20expertise,isolation%20from%20a%20societal%20collapse.

Goa drowns in a puddle of socio-political contradictions -Soter

Lead Article published in oHeraldo November 20, 2024

There are several Goans who are trying to make sense of the galloping destruction and the lawlessness in Goa. What makes matters even more distressing, are the contradictory and bizarre public responses to the crisis. There are Goans who still believe that they can eat the cake and keep it too.

The signs of a disintegrating society are showing. A sinking feeling is now palpable, whether in the home or on the street. Goans do not feel safe anymore, but the partying goes on as usual despite all the complaining, a typical contradiction. Amazing Goa may be a heaven for hungry money bags, but it has become a living hell for many ordinary citizens. One often gets to hear a question thrown up in a discussion, “What is the way out of this mess for us Goans?”

The moral degradation is nakedly visible with the land scams, online women trafficking, cash-for-job scams and fake education certificates that have got unearthed. These are probably just the tip of the iceberg, probably the misfortune of those alleged scamsters who blundered in their adventure, as several more happily go about looting and plundering with total immunity.

The enormity of the bribe-for-jobs scam shows the extent to which civil society is ethically compromised to bribe their way and deny the deserving persons their rights. The cash-for-job is no different from the cash-for-vote mentality. Even religious institutions are ridden with such abuse and corruption which takes cover of this corrupt political system, and defended by gullible followers. What law and order can one expect when one or the other unlawful activity has a cop or their family member involved?

The chronic mess which Goans are facing today is the outcome of a progressive socio-political disease which infected the then union territory, now State, since 1961.

Goans have dug their own grave by endorsing personality disorder traits in politics and worshiping such dark personalities for the crumbs. The manipulation hides behind glossy labels of terms like ‘Goenkarponn’ and ‘Asmitai’, which do not have a consensus definition even 65 years after liberation.

A socio-political fabric split on caste and religious lines, sort of a bipolar culture, imposed upon itself a bitter Opinion Poll and language agitation. Goa’s post-Liberation history of political and economic choices has time and again exposed these concealed cracks in the social fabric, which get cleverly played down by toxic positivity and optimism.

Perhaps, for far too long, a lie has been sold that Goa is a land of communal harmony and unique culture, while deep within remains rooted the native rot of caste and religious biases and various disparities. The absence of communal riots does not mean the absence of mental abuse and violence involving caste and religion. It’s a casteist diplomacy which wears an innocent smile and bites without showing its dirty teeth. And now, it is the fantasy of ‘Vishal Gomantak’ which is touted as the panacea to Goa’s socio-political and economic problems.

The counter resistance from within to historic people’s movement for the Konkan railway realignment and anti- Meta strips and anti-mega project agitations are proof enough of a communal allergy, which is triggered every time some or the other people’s movement is not spearheaded by a majoritarian casteist clique; parading some cleric dressed in a saffron kurta on a literary dais or for a street protest cannot hide this ugly reality.

Goa’s polarisation is not about ignorance and misunderstandings between people of different faiths, but the design for the control of politics and economics by a privileged majoritarian section which uses religion as a smoke screen.

The minorities have allowed themselves to be used and thrown for the political and economic pursuits of the majoritarian privileged class.

The self-conscious minorities, from years of gas-lighting, guilt tripping and bullying employed by the divisive majoritarian forces, are desperately attempting to prove their inclusiveness through inter-faith meets or dialogues. Do inter-religious dialogues tackle the contentious socio-political evils plaguing the Goan community?

From the late 80s, there have been attempts to build a collective vision and mission for Golden Goa, but people’s movements got hijacked for selfish designs of some individuals who were more interested in branding and marketing themselves as saviours of Goa.

Everyone is kept going round in circles by feeding convenient narratives which feed the Goan victimhood, instead of analysing the problems from angles which will address the root cause. It’s more like Noam Chomsky’s ‘manufactured consent’ driving Walter Lipmann’s ‘bewildered herd’ into political action, which repeatedly drives the clueless masses into banging their heads against a dead wall.

The single issue obsession and heroics, which cleverly ignores inter-connected issues, coupled with change initiatives or solutions that care less about the cross-sectoral impact or fallout has resulted in the cure becoming worse than the disease.

There is no better example of a self-defeating stance now adopted by the Goans in preparing Village Development Plans and Gram Panchayat Development Plans without having any control over the community’s natural resources, which are vital for achieving socio-economic targets.

How long can Goans afford to live in this denial of reality, and take recourse in ‘blame games’ and ‘scapegoating’ to avoid looking at their social and political contradictions?

When will we stop picking soft targets at the panchayat level for bullying, and ignore the legislators, the TCP and other related government agencies that are the primary culprits for the destruction and sale of Goa?

The qualitative solutions to Goa’s problems can only emerge if, to begin with, there is a collective and objective diagnosis of the root causes by the community. Mere chest thumping on the streets and resolutions in the Gram Sabhas will not cure the power and money addicts in government.

(The author has worked with community initiatives related to preventing drug and alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDs prevention, Panchayati Raj, anti-corruption, environment protection and social justice.)

https://www.heraldgoa.in/edit/goa-drowns-in-a-puddle-of-socio-political-contradictions/415994

Goa's target for 100% literacy certified illiteracy? - Soter

 published as lead article in Oheraldo on September 23, 2024

The hunt for non-literate Goans has been flagged off by the Goa government in municipalities and Village Panchayats. There is a hurry to declare Goa as a 100% literate State under the New India Literacy Program (NILP) by 19th December 2024. In its haste to meet the deadline, the government has limited its literacy goal to only ‘read and write’ which renders this mission out-dated, just like many of Goa’s planning laws and policies which are wreaking havoc in the State.

The 5-year national literacy mission 2022-2027 seeks to target 5-crore non-literates across the country in the age group of 15 years and above. The 5 components of the program involves foundational literacy and numeration, critical life skills, basic education, vocational skills and continuing education, besides encouraging formation of SHGs, voluntary and user groups and other community based organisations. This is nothing more than the literacy goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations which is marketed with a ‘desi’ label of ‘New India’.

The concept of literacy as spelt out in one module released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) states that, “Literacy is a tool for communication, participation, liberation, conscientization and empowerment of every individual. It liberates us from the confines of vanity and prejudice, ignorance and fads and directs our creative energies to flow unencumbered towards a search for and the discovery of the true meaning of our existence. Literacy enables people to overcome the handicaps of their atomized existence and enter the wider world of information, communication, innovation, modernization and skills.”

Given the government’s track record on earlier missions like the ‘Open Defecation Free’ and ‘Har Ghar Jal’, how serious is the government in promoting literacy and education? Or, is this literacy target another of those ‘jumlas’, more about grabbing a share from the Union Government’s financial outlay of Rs.1037.90 crore to squander on namesake events?

The overall economic policies of the Goa government do not seem to match with its claim of promoting literacy and education. A State economy increasingly dependent on importing rowdyism and perversity to generate revenue is no conducive environment for learning. The emerging New Goa Paradise of Vices can only act as an antidote to literacy and education. A mind-set that takes pride in delivering bulldozer justice and a bully culture which lacks respect and concern for the dignity of the human person cannot be tamed by literacy and education.

In the last one decade, all literacy and education in Goa seems to be going down the drain with brain washing. The literacy and education now seen in the government’s rhetoric is nothing more than the ability to differentiate Muslim from Hindu, Beef from Mutton and Masjid from Temple.

It is disgusting to hear an executive head of state attributing the rise in Muslim population to a brain drain resulting from a decline in Christian population. The situation is more like what the American lawyer and politician Newton D. Baker said, “the man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.”

What is striking in the NILP is the mention of the ‘critical life skills’ component in abolishing illiteracy. In an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world of this 21st century, how many of the already so-claimed literate and educated possess the essential life skills of creativity and critical thinking, along with personal and social responsibility which are all essential for good citizenship in a democracy?

Goa’s rise in literacy rate from 23.48% pre-liberation to 88.70% as per the 2011 census is definitely commendable. There is no doubt that an enormous amount of financial resources have been invested in providing accessible schooling even in the most remote corners of the State by successive governments, if one is to keep aside the issue of quality education. The improvement in rural-urban connectivity along with technology inputs has aided this growth in literacy. But, is this literacy growth reflected in the quality of life as of today? Has it contributed to the emergence of visionary political leadership and responsible citizenship?

The limitations in Goa’s 88.70% literacy and education in this 21st century is there for all to see in the dance of illiteracy and idiocy which is on naked and shameless display on Goa’s roads and in the streets. The quality of political leadership which is thrown up time and again in elections driven by petty caste and religious considerations, and not forgetting the plight of the University, shows that literacy and education have hardly contributed to the overall social and political empowerment of the people. The poor standard of deliberations in Gram Sabhas where muscle overpowers reason and the lack of basic skills with chairpersons to conduct such meetings are proof enough of the level of illiteracy, if one is to evaluate the situation within the framework of 21st century literacy goals.

The questioning spirit and rational reasoning are terribly missing in Goan culture. Even drawing attention to irrational beliefs or harmful traditions becomes offensive and hurting to religious, caste or patriotic sentiments. The blindness from a literate and educated idiocy empowered by technology thrives on fake news, sensationalism and reactionary outbursts. The care-a-damn attitude of citizens for the inconvenience they cause to others in public places, or the absence of fear of law and a false sense of entitlement from being socially and economically well-off, is definitely not reflective of a literate and educated society.

A famous quote of the American writer and futurist Alvin Tofler reads, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”

(The author has worked with community initiatives related to Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, HIV/AIDs Prevention, Panchayati Raj, Anti-Corruption, Environment Protection and Social Justice.)

https://www.heraldgoa.in/edit/goas-target-for-100-literacy-certified-illiteracy/413639

The Dark Factor in Goa’s Rotten Politics -Soter

 Lead article published in oHeraldo on August 26,2024

The disease related to money and power is as cunning and baffling as alcoholism or drug addiction and can only take society downhill if not arrested promptly

Just a couple of weeks back, a South Goa MLA was reported to have said, “this is a sick government with a disease of troubling the people and destroying the environment.” Which government he was referring to is probably left to the imagination of the public. 

If a People’s Representative insulated with official privileges is feeling so agitated, helpless and disappointed with the governance, one can imagine the plight of the ordinary citizens. There is hardly any doubt that citizens are feeling troubled and choked by the pathetic condition of basic State infrastructure and rising lawlessness. But what exactly is that sickness which has affected the government? 

The political rot and the disastrous development policies are sold to people as the path to a ‘Swayampurna Goy’. The absence of the spirit of inquiry and scientific temper keeps the Goan community clueless about the disease which actually ails Goa’s politics and culture. For a society which cannot decipher fake news from authentic news and democracy from pathocracy, what better can one expect from the leaders it keeps throwing up?

The disease related to money and power is as cunning and baffling as alcoholism or drug addiction, and can only take society downhill if not arrested promptly. This sick political governance is far too arrogant and shameless to be threatened by street protests, media exposes and law courts alone. This needs to be simultaneously addressed with mental health interventions to tackle the personality disorders in leadership, which are said to involve long-lasting and all-encompassing disruptive patterns of thinking, behaviour, mood and relating to others. 

What we as citizens are experiencing is classical political abuse and the psychological impact is similar to that of interpersonal abuse - which over a period of time develops a co-dependency in victims of abuse.  The chronic lies, false promises, trivializing of serious issues, denial of rightful information, manipulation, polarisation, abuse of state machinery to humiliate, intimidate and control, and  the gas-lighting of critics with labels such as ‘tukde tukde gang’ and ‘anti-nationals’, are definitely not behaviours which reflect a healthy leadership from those occupying public office. The victims of abuse are being driven into questioning their own sanity, and gradually into believing that these toxic behaviours are about clean and able politics.

According to psychologist and a mental health expert, Elena Cherepov, “Political abuse is understood as the deliberate misuse of a political position for the benefit of power itself, and the use of it for institutional discrimination and maltreatment of dissenting and marginalised groups.” 

Such leaders have an outsized sense of self-importance and position themselves as saviours who will ensure justice and protection against a mythical enemy. Political psychologists, such as Dr Steve Taylor, have been warning that abusive personalities are more attracted to positions of power. 

The personality traits of abusive leadership which were categorised under the Dark Triad - narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy, which sound crude, are now referred to as the ‘Dark (or D) factor’ by some experts. The D-factor, according to new psychological research lists nine malevolent personality traits namely, egoism, machiavellianism, moral disengagement, narcissism, psychological entitlement, psychopathy, sadism, self-interest and spitefulness. These dark personality traits are said to result in ‘the general tendency of placing one’s own goals and interests over those of others even to the extent of taking pleasure in hurting others – along with a host of beliefs that serve as justifications and thus prevent feelings of guilt, shame, or the like.’ 

While every person may possess one or the other dark trait to some degree which may not be disruptive, the dysfunction is said to arise with ‘the general tendency of disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility for others - accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications in order to maximize one’s individual utility.’

In a democracy, political abuse is not a one-sided problem. Abusive political leaders cannot survive in positions of power without the tolerance and cooperation from citizens. Abuse is notorious for generating intrinsically complicated relationships between abuser and victim - in this case the citizens. Elena Cherepov, referring to studies on abusive political regimes, says that “we must not place all the blame on the leader: kings are played by their entourage.” 

Recognising and admitting political abuse becomes difficult in a society which normalizes abusive behaviour from elders or leaders, whether in family, religious and academic institutions or workplaces. Just attempt drawing the attention of a fellow Goan to his/her violation or illegality and observe the sick response you will receive. 

When coveting neighbours' goods and neighbours’ wife and the false sense of entitlement are tolerated and celebrated as a sign of social empowerment and economic prosperity by families and communities in Goa, will it not logically and naturally find its way into the Parliament, Assembly and Panchayats? We see how some groups blackmail the government into supporting their unethical and illegal trade practices under the banner of protecting local livelihoods. 

According to Dr Taylor, what is more troubling is the “abdication syndrome”, when common citizens view leaders the way children see their parents - incapable of harm or behaving negatively. Studies also show that democracies tend to vote for such toxic leaders who lack human emotions like fear, nervousness, embarrassment and guilt, and project a sense of confidence, making them appear extremely charismatic. 

The treatment for Goa’s political rot and sick governance has to begin with the people. Stop putting sick leaders on a pedestal and worshiping them for the crumbs falling from their table. If democracy has to survive and people’s rights in governance respected by political leaders, citizens will need to keep the community interests and welfare above their selfish political preferences and agendas. 

https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/The-Dark-Factor-in-Goa%E2%80%99s-Rotten-Politics/225187

Flyovers - The gravestones in Goa’s cemetery of illusionary development -Soter

 Lead article published in OHeraldo on JUly22, 2024

Sometimes, it appears as if citizens are so intoxicated with the ‘politician ki guarantee’ that they can hardly distinguish political abuse and violence from people-friendly governance and genuine progress.

As the construction of the 5.15 km six-lane elevated corridor along the Porvorim stretch of NH 66 kicks off, the residents along the route keep their fingers crossed in anticipation of undisclosed horrors and guessing what the future has in store for them. Life will definitely never be the same again for those who live in the vicinity of this concrete monster.

What is scary is the silence of the residents who are likely to be adversely impacted socially, economically and environmentally in the long run with such infrastructure. Sometimes, it appears as if citizens are so intoxicated with the ‘politician ki guarantee’ that they can hardly distinguish political abuse and violence from people-friendly governance and genuine progress. Loyalty to politicians blinds them from recognising their day-to-day miseries of erratic water and power supply, treacherous roads, floods, landslides, crimes and galloping vector-borne diseases, all related to the haphazard and unscientific infrastructure development driven by political greed and corruption.

The Porvorim flyover project, according to media reports, will involve construction of a single row of 86 piers and 87 spans impacting 4 Village Panchayat areas, but none of the Gram Sabhas have been taken into confidence by the government to discuss the project and get the collaboration of the community. The only information that citizens are being entertained with are the theatrics of a local MLA blowing hot and cold, while nothing concrete is apparent when it comes to the traffic management and minimizing of the possible nuisance to the residents of the locality.

The idea for the construction of a flyover in Porvorim to ease the traffic congestion was floated way back in and around, 2007-2012, during the tenure of a Congress government. Some public meetings were organized by the then MLA of Aldona Constituency to gauge the public support for the project. That was at a time when Porvorim was not yet a separate constituency. It was at one such meeting held at Porvorim that a senior citizen had questioned, “Your government has put our traditional houses in a pit by encouraging high rise buildings all around which block our air and light, is the proposed flyover a lid on our grave?” It was the same Aldona MLA who had earlier drawn the government’s attention to a fact that the traffic chaos in Porvorim was caused by punctures every few meters from internal lanes opening onto the highway. Sensing a possible resistance from the public the flyover proposal was put on the back burner by the government.

The link between the menace of infrastructure projects and political corruption is well known to the public. Since 1990, the traffic chaos along the Porvorim route has been systematically engineered to make the need for a flyover appear inevitable. To begin with, all alternatives of proposed bypasses provided in the RP 2001 were scrapped to free up spaces for real estate. Multi-storeyed enclaves and bungalows mushroomed along these stretches. Simultaneously, construction permissions for commercial and residential purposes were cleared within the proposed set-back area for widening of the existing NH; on a mere undertaking that these structures will be demolished for highway expansion when the need arises.

Adding to the confusion were the traffic signals installed at some locations with disregard for IRC codes. It would be worth noting that the plans of some housing complexes had shown their entry-exit onto the Chogm road to obtain EIA clearances. So also, the highway was broadened in patches creating bottlenecks every few meters. Authorities turned a blind eye to traffic violations along the highway outside showrooms and supermarkets. Such vicious political tactics ensured that the situation appeared unmanageable. It was in such a climate that the bait of a flyover promising ‘Amritkal’ got swallowed by the public without questioning.

Worldwide it has been realised that flyovers are an out-dated 20th century concept which neither solves traffic congestions nor improves road safety. They only displace the problem from one location to another, besides being environmentally damaging and an eyesore. Creating affordable public transport systems and discouraging the use of private vehicles are now seen as the sustainable solution the world over. We already see how the construction of the Atal Sethu Bridge and flyover has not prevented traffic jams on the service roads leading to the Malim junction below. It has further contributed to the traffic chaos at the Merces junction and at the KTC bus stand.

If the experience of the Cortalim, Bambolim and Bastora flyovers and service roads are any pointer to the poor road engineering and safety, along with the horrors of water logging and the losses for small businesses, then the infrastructural trauma from a flyover in a populated and commercially thriving locality like Porvorim could be far worse. With traditional waterways disrupted and the destabilizing of hill slopes from excavations and drillings for the flyover construction, the settlements along the highway and downhill could witness landslides, flooding and health problems related to increased air and noise pollution. The threat from this development is far beyond 3 banyan trees and 15 coconut trees.

Now that the construction of the flyover has already been kicked off, the scope for citizens to push for other alternatives is no more. Now, the community needs to be vigilant that people-friendly sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are provided to the residents along the service roads below. They need to ensure that the drainage water from the flyover is not released on the citizens who use the service roads. Most of all, citizens need to realise that prevention is better than cure. Reacting after a crisis has struck is futile. The unprecedented rainfall has already shown the pain and misery which lies in store for Goans from such skewed development.

(Soter D’Souza has worked with community initiatives in Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention, HIV/AIDs Prevention, Panchayati Raj, Anti-Corruption, Environment Protection and Social Justice)

https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Flyovers-The-gravestones-in-Goa%E2%80%99s-cemetery-of-illusionary-development/223870

Porvorim flyover

Navhind Times 7 july 2024 p4

The infrastructural trauma inflicted on public - what the flyover causes down under

Are Goans Inviting A Tsunami Of Substance Abuse? - Soter

 Published in OHerald on June 24, 2024

In a day or two, Goa will be observing the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking in Goa. The 2024 theme chosen by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is: “The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention.”

Having witnessed this drug awareness day being observed in a State for over 3 decades, one does not expect anything different from the government with a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), as usual, being conceived in Delhi and dumped in Goa.

Apart from the fanciful name for the scheme, it remains doubtful whether there is any scope to even think out of the box on a meaningful, innovative, efficacious and localised approach towards a ‘Nasha Mukth’ society, a cause which Mahatma Gandhi had relentlessly advocated. The day’s program may culminate in nothing more than the same hypocrisy of a stereotypical mindset and superficiality consisting of competitions, rallies and lectures for school students.

A mere formality to fulfil a commitment made to a UN convention on Narcotic Drugs, only to be forgotten until next year. The programs will target illicit drug demand reduction, but will remain silent on curbing alcohol availability and reducing consumption as it contributes significantly to the coffers of the Goa State.

Such contradictions and double standards related to alcohol use/abuse have been troubling many within the religious and medical circles. After all, how can one expect a society to have the moral conviction to tackle substance abuse when it promotes and celebrates the consumption of liquor 365 days of the year, under attractive labels of tradition, heritage and livelihood? What is the logic in targeting children for drug prevention when adult role models are lacking in Goan society when it comes to wilful restraint from the use of mind and mood altering substances in socializing?

Goa’s anti-drugs event on June 26 needs to be viewed in the background of a rise in inter-state liquor smuggling, drunk driving and other related crimes. A drunk driver ploughed the bus into temporary shelters of construction labourers at Verna killing four persons besides injuring some others. Drunk labourers quarrelling and ultimately ending up in a murder. A drunk lawyer killing a two-wheeler rider in a hit and run case. Seven drunk drivers suspended by KTC in six months. And the huge seizures of smuggled liquor and drug consignments by authorities, cases wherein even Goan youth have been arrested for alleged procurement or peddling of banned substances via the dark web. These are just some of the cases which got highlighted by the media. There could be hundreds of news reports and police cases wherein the alcohol abuse angle will get ignored, particularly in cases of domestic violence and child abuse.

The public, not just the government, can no longer afford to ignore such statistics of a 300% rise in drunken driving cases registered in just 6 months according to press reports. Citizens across Goa are already experiencing the rising nuisance of drugs and alcohol abuse at street corners and picnic spots. This is not only about a risk to the security and peace of citizens, but indicates the extent of related health, social and economic problems in the State.

With a corrupt political system aiding violations in the liquor and drug trade, we need to bear in mind that what goes on record is just the tip of the iceberg; more of a formality to show that law enforcement agencies are doing their duty. Perhaps, the alcohol and drug menace may actually be far higher, as a lot of such cases go undetected or get covered up for political or monetary considerations.

Last month’s horrific road accident in Pune caused by an intoxicated juvenile behind the wheel that killed two young techies, which came to be known as the ‘Pune Porsche case’, is a perfect example of how dysfunctional roles develop in a substance abuse environment. Intoxication with alcohol is not just an individual’s problem, it is a social disease. The drama unearthed through the CID investigation on the involvement of the family, police and medical staff in destroying evidence to shield the accused in the Pune case is very much part and parcel of this addiction dynamics. The addiction drama gets even more complicated with political influence, money and religion playing a role. We will hear it repeatedly mentioned in Alcoholic Anonymous meetings that “Alcoholism is a cunning and baffling disease”. The same also holds true for dependence on other addictive substances.

With social tolerance and defensiveness when it comes to drinking alcohol, the problem gets denied and kept under wraps amidst a steep rise in Goa‘s partying culture with drugs and alcohol. Even minors are not prevented from exposure to alcohol at social gatherings and in the homes. With the rising social and economic distress resulting from migration, unemployment, poverty, displacement, and other such issues, incidents of substance abuse as a means of coping will only gallop if not tackled with urgency.

In Goa’s paradise of vices, where profits from tourism and real estate are valued more than the lives of ordinary citizens for a government gone berserk, substance abuse and interrelated social evils are invited guests. Projecting blame on the police and migrants is not going to save us Goans from a tsunami of substance abuse and crimes which are likely to spiral out of control.

This raises the questions: How long can Goans harp on the horrors of addiction to banned narcotic and psychotropic substances and play down the social impact from the abuse of licit substances like liquor, tobacco and the rest? Isn’t there a need for prevention campaigns to tackle abuse and addiction to mind and mood altering substances across the board?

(The writer was a Counsellor at a Drug Prevention and De-addiction Centre in Goa)

https://www.heraldgoa.in/Edit/Opinions/Are-Goans-Inviting-A-Tsunami-Of-Substance-Abuse/222801