In the first Panchayat election in Goa immediately following the invasion of Goa by the Bharat Serkar the lower grade of Goans – castewise and financewise – fought that election vigorously against the upper grade Goans – castewise and financewise. It was like a war between the bourgeois and proletarians, in this war major victory was derived by the latter but village administration went into the hands of many of the rubbish hands that were purely communal in nature. However, those administrators were sincere to their ethics. This period lasted till mid eighties at least in my village when Tomazinho Cardoso ruled Candolim as the Sarpanch. When he was the long time Sarpanch of Candolim, Tomazinho Cardoso did not indulge in unethical practices and did not involve in corruption nor bribe taking, as far as I know.
Then came the second phase which was initiated with the spread of large scale tourism industry. Because of this, big moneyed people from other parts of India mainly from Delhi landed in Goa and started purchasing land from Goa and built Hotels of different dimensions, the local Panchayats started blindly issuing licences for these builders from whom lot of bribe was taken by the Panchayat administrative gangsters. So also other buildings started by the builders many times without even taking care of the local ecology because these builders already purchased the local Panchayat leaders by bribing them.
In my village and vaddo Araddy the local authority issued licenses many of them verbally to construct houses haphazardly creating a fear in the minds of residents, this was done I think by taking bribe and thru this type of money the local leaders became crorepotis. Also in my village licenses are issued to build big hotels in an unplanned manner that makes the movement of the locals difficult. Those who were responsible in issuing these licenses were illiterate in this field but act like top architects including the Marie Antoinette. The rampant issuing of licenses for the builders to construct big buildings by taking huge amount of bribe has destroyed the ecology and greenery of the village on which the elected local leaders are least interested because they are outsiders in our locality and as such they have no love for the locality. They have love only for illicit money. They are suffering from superiority complex for this reason they treat people arrogantly when the locals go to them for any service. They are fit only to take revenge against those who opposed them in the election and on personal matters. One fellow is now “fugddi ghalta” at home while earlier he was using Panchayat as if it is his father’s property to harass the locals in a vindictive manner.
Let us vote out those who are corrupt and vindictive. These corrupt politicians to millionise themselves have degoanised Goa.
A.Veronica fernandes.