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December     Last updated: December 23 : 7:00 p.m.

Fundamentalists mar industrial progress in Goa

Fundamentalists mar industrial progress in Goa Sanjeev Bansal It is very unfortunate that the Government machinery including some top bureaucrats and political leaders in Goa though fully knowing the advantages of large-scale development are reluctant to open their mouth in front of the leaders of the minority community. They bow down to their wishes against the interest of the State and the country as a whole. Some anti-social elements opposing industrialisation have in the past tasted blood when they have been successful in their ploy to push out Thapar Dupont from the State and have now started thinking that nobody on earth can stop them from indulging in any such anti-industrial activities. In doing so, they are misusing their intellect and so called advance education by finding out new ways and means to harass the people who put up the industries. When any industry is in the process of being set up, they call the innocent people of villages by ringing Church bells and then given them lectures in the name of Jesus from the pulpit of the Church, presenting a very sad picture of the industry to be set up. They then incite these innocent people to go all out against the industry by using all means including violence, hunger strikes, morchas, dharnas, etc.

They do not even think twice before resorting to large-scale destruction and burning of vehicles. What kind of education is this? The motive here is quite different, because these so called intelligent people know that when they engage in such shameful acts, the police has no option, but to control violence by rightly using force. This will make a good case for them to tell the international forum that there are large scale human rights violation and the police is very brutal; the industry which they are opposing will create havoc leading to large scale deaths, so on and so forth. By doing so, they will be treated as crusaders against destroyers of environment and will be successful in their ploy of getting media attention as also the attention of the highest authorities. These so called intelligent and educated crusaders of environment (or anti-national cheats if we may call them) have done exactly the same in the case of Meta Strips, but here they failed in their attempt as the national Human Rights Commission comprising of three retired senior judges of the Supreme Court including the former Chief Justice of India systematically looked into all points of the complaint, directed Central Environment Ministry to look into the complaint of pollution and simultaneously asked the State police about such incidents. Soon a very clear picture emerged and the truth was there for everyone to see.

The Ministry of Environment after thorough checking by a team comprising senior technical experts said that there is absolutely no pollution in the unit. The police also categorically stated that the violence was not unintentional but was done purposely and there was no police excess. Even a judge of the court in Goa had lodged a complaint with the police about violence by these anti-socials and so called educated people. What more proof is required about their anti-national activities? Secondly, they brand every official or leader who does not concur with them as 'corrupt' and in this process they even do not spare the judiciary, if decisions are not given in their favour. Wherever they get any decision favourable to them from any officer or judge, they claim that it is a victory of the people and person concerned has not been purchased by the industry; whereas in all other cases they say that the persons concerned are corrupt and it goes without saying that this includes former Chief Justice of India and even the present judiciary. In spite of criticising judiciary so openly and unashamedly casting aspersions on them, when these people fail in their attempt as mentioned above, they do not think twice before coming to the judiciary. By misusing their intellect, they frame public interest litigation, by presenting tampered and truncated documents, making the judge to believe that whatever they are stating in their public interest litigation is right.

Is it not worse than corruption as they are trying to mislead the Courts by presenting fabricated facts and figures? If they are not successful in one attempt, they try to twist the facts in different manner and then keep on making several attempts one after another. Funds for indulging in such activities are openly and shamelessly given by some religious organisations backing them, which obviously has their own axe to grind. The motive behind the above forms of agitation is very clear-to push out the industry somehow or the other. If they fail in getting any benefit from violence or even from judiciary, then they go on filing one complaint or the other regardless of the fact that the documents presented are fabricated. With this, they are able to make sure that the industry is continuously embroiled in legal proceedings on the one hand, dealing with the agitationists on the other hand and also dealing with a timid Government on the third front. As a result, the industry is unfortunately made to lose precious time and is held up using its energy in fighting such unscrupulous people at the Government level as also at the court level. Time and energy in today's world means money and the industry which otherwise is most useful for the people is ultimately closed down because of several months delay and huge increase in cost on account of additional overheads and large scale interest burden.

Thus, the industry dies a natural death. It is but natural that as a result of all such nefarious activities of a few people, the Government of Goa is now bankrupt but this does not deter the people backed by a particular religious community in carrying out their anti-social activities, since their ultimate motive is not development of the State but dominance of that particular community. It is highly unfortunate that the concerned authorities are feeling so weak as not to intervene and thwarting such anti-national activities and coming down heavily on the religious leaders for their direct role (which involves absolute financial backing to the people carrying out such anti-national activities and also using the Church forum for exhorting the people to indulge in such activities). Unfortunately, the Government was adopting a wrong path and the country had to repent for past mistakes in not curbing such anti-national activities.

The entrepreneurs not only in India but also from outside the country have already taken note of such serious situation in Goa. Many of them have pledged not to set up any industry, even though it may be absolutely non-polluting as per the standards set by the local environmentalists in Goa. Others, who are still planning to come, may well have to repent in future, as there is no protection, no safety, no help, no support, no encouragement and no value for their commitment from any quarter. The already shattered economy of Goa might have much more problems in the times to come if the Government at the Centre as also the State remain only silent spectators. The intelligentsia from amongst the majority as also the government should at least now wake up from deep slumber or else it will be too late and Goa may miss the IT boom and industrial progress. Hence, Government of India and the State Government should take drastic action against these anti-national elements and ruffians without any further loss of time.