by Lenny Barretto
for Daijiworld Media Network - Goa
Panaji, May 9: Life is not easy out there. While Goa brags of being a state with very high per capita income, there are several families, which are living below poverty line. Inevitably, a majority of these families are not originally Goans, having migrated from outside for some or other reason. But still it cannot be denied that they make part of our state and live in very poor conditions.
Shanties dotting every town and these days even villages are indications that Goa is going the Mumbai way. As you go towards the airport, clusters of slum dwellings, clearly visible next to the national highway, paint a picture of Goa's future. The future when Goa too will have all the problems similar to those of Mumbai.
We are not worried about the cosmopolitan culture. The main worry is that Goa will be out of gear as our state is more sensitive compared to the rest – ecologically, socially and economically too.
Tourism is Goa's main driving force for the economy and if we have shabby places, the tourists will run away from the state, vowing not to come back again. This, naturally, will spell doom for the tourism industry that is source of livelihood for many families.
Here, let us focus on those families who don't have two square meals and struggle to eke out a living. For many across India, Goa is like Middle East where money-making is easier. That is why when there is drought elsewhere, there is an influx of migration into states like Goa.
The Goa government has miserably failed to chalk out a long-term policy for these families. We should stop calling them non-Goans as by now every one of them have all requisite documents to prove that they are Goan residents. So, if you cant drive them away, work out a proper strategy for them so that they don't disturb our fabric.
These families are merely looked upon as a vote bank by political parties during elections and later they are forgotten. No political party will speak about the plan to regularize them.
Many real Goans may find this thought absurd as they feel that migrants should be driven away back to their territories but when we know that we can't drive them away, it is our responsibility to regulate them.
Will any political party think about this?
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