GOA'S DUST CLOUDS & ECONOMIC INSANITY

PUBLISHED IN HERALD ON 17/10/2012 Goa’s dust clouds and economic insanity by Soter D’Souza The day of reckoning for the unscrupulous and arrogant mining industry in Goa seems to have finally arrived. The arguments and fervent pleas in favour of resuming mining operations, on the grounds that some few thousands (fortunately not lakhs) will be driven to desperation if mining is stopped so abruptly, are simply not convincing. There could be no better reference to expose the pettiness in the arguments by the votaries of mining than Jesus’ response -“man does not live on bread alone”(Lk 4.4) - to the devil’s first temptation during those 40 days of fasting in the desert. Livelihood alone cannot become the criteria to justify mining in Goa. What was initially under the scanner was illegal mining. If in the process all mining has come to a standstill, it is only because there is an absence of definite clarity on the extent of illegality in the existing mining leases, and the massive environmental damage which is evident. This again is a consequence that has arisen because some people within the mining industry and Government have paid scant respect to people’s protests and judicial commissions, confident that they could continue to break the law with impunity. This status quo imposed on mining operations is not some random decision from some authority, but became necessary only after ascertaining the facts through a judicial inquiry. Until reversed, the judicial inquiry report stands as factual. Is it not only fair and reasonable, that a status quo be maintained till such time as the truth and legality about mining in Goa is ascertained? As the debate to generate sympathy for mining activity is on, there is a simultaneous attempt to malign anti-mining activists by likening them to anarchists and narcissists. It is not true that only NGOs are involved in the anti-mining campaign. Even ordinary local people inflicted with mindless violence (environmental as well as human) for years together, have mastered the courage to stand up and protest against this injustice. In an attempt to expose some self-empowering activists who may be exploiting the mining issue to build their brand image in the donor market, it is unfair to label a Rama, Motes, Joao, Telu, Cheryl and rest of the villagers as anarchists. Violence of sorts seems to have been inflicted on them with the active collusion of the State Government machinery. The alleged use of bouncers and police by the mining mafia to pressurize local people to part with their lands, or destruction of their water sources and agriculture farms, is as serious an issue as the loss of jobs in the mining sector. So, by no means can the loss of a few jobs become more important than the threat to several lives arising from the deprivation of clean drinking water, denial of traditional livelihoods like farming and animal husbandry, disturbed sleep, acute respiratory disorders, absence of road safety and so on. Does the right to clean drinking water, clean air and restful sleep not pertain to the right to livelihood? Someone’s right to entrepreneurship and livelihood cannot become a justification for enforcing terror and a virtual undeclared curfew in village after village just to facilitate the free movement of mineral ore and build the mineral reserves of some foreign nations, while claiming that mining is the back bone of Goa’s economy. If the Right to Livelihood is applicable to those who are dependent on mining activity, then whosoever’s life is under threat due to indiscriminate, unethical and illegal mining activity also has a Right to Life as guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Coming to the sob stories of those who have invested heavily in the mining sector, whose fault is it that they have done so despite several reports over the years about illegalities and how mineral reserves are depleting? If some Goans were lured into mining by the prospects of making a fast buck and decided to throw all their eggs in the mining basket, even if it involved using unlawful and unethical means, it is for them to face the consequences of their folly. Business is about wise investments, and the public cannot be penalized to make good the losses of those who have recklessly invested without calculating the potential risks. A Government does not cushion the losses incurred by investors when share markets collapse, sometimes due to faulty policies of the Government itself. Does the Government compensate so many ordinary people who miserably lose heavily in their business investments? If it was so, then thousands of farmers would not have been driven to consume pesticide to end their lives. This mining disaster in Goa is not about a natural disaster. It is a logical consequence of greed, arrogance and insensitivity. As the fate of mining hangs in a balance, there are lessons for Goans to be learnt. The mining crisis is nothing but the utter failure of State Government policies, due to which Goans have been literally pushed into unsustainable economic activity and rendered vulnerable to exploitation by the mafia. Successive Governments have not focused on sustainable economic development of its people, but appear to have fed into the designs of some industrialists who have only looked at their own development by manipulating governments and public opinion in this State. Today it is the mining sector; very soon it could be the tourism sector which is moving in a similar direction. While, it is important to be in sync with current global economic trends, at the same time we need to preserve our traditional livelihood alternatives to fall back upon when needed. The sustainable development of Goa is possible only if our environment, culture and economic interests are well protected and judiciously used, not abused. In other words, natural laws need to be considered as sacred as positive laws while framing development policies for Goa. The pastoral letter of the Archbishop of Goa needs to be carefully studied by policy makers of this State. http://oheraldo.in/newscategory/Opinions/14