A crash and the semantics of legality
Why legality does not equal safety, stories of harassment of women on Goa's beaches and more in this week's edition
Hi folks and welcome to another edition.
Today is Republic Day! The day we celebrate the enactment of the Indian constitution as on this day 75 years ago, the constitution came into effect marking the beginning of India’s journey as a constitutional republic. From that perspective, if we’re being honest, things don’t really look bright at the moment. But let’s remember that they were worse in the past and while that in itself is no guarantee that they will be better in the future, we can take heart in the fact that if we gave ourselves a sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic securing for its citizens liberty, equality and justice, we have it in us to do it all over again -- should we squander it all away and have to rebuild from scratch.
Beyond recalling our hard fought rights and freedoms, Republic Day is today also about handing out awards and honours. Goa’s daughter Libia Lobo Sardessai has found her name in the list that was released on Saturday announcing her selection for the Padma Shri for her contribution to the underground radio station in Goa. May her legacy inspire many.
That besides, it’s been a week of chilly mornings, hot and dusty afternoons with bad news that water shortages lie ahead after a major breach of the Tillari canal. But we plough on.
A crash and the semantics of legality
The week began on a tragic note with the unfortunate death of Shivani Dabale, a young techie hailing from Pune, who met her end during what was expected to be a fun evening of paragliding off the hillsides in Querim in north Goa.
A video purporting to be that of the final moments before the crash has since emerged showing the paraglider careening out of control (intentionally or otherwise) before it loses shape and dips out of sight. There doesn’t appear to be any cord snapping, which was initially suggested to be the cause of the crash. But frankly, that’s besides the point.
What’s more important to highlight now, is the state’s reaction to the entire incident -- given what the’ve said and left unsaid -- so far.
The first thing that stood out no sooner news broke was that the police registered a case against the operator Shekhar Raizada for conducting paragliding activities “without obtaining permission from the appropriate authorities” and therefore endangering lives.
The following day, the tourism department issued a statement, which, among other things, was eager to make clear that “no permission or approval was granted by the department for paragliding activities at the Keri plateau” and went on to urge tourists that “only that only licensed and authorized services are utilized” while promising action.
Sure enough, on Friday evening an order was issued banning paragliding and motor gliding activity across the state “to undertake a review of all existing registrations to ensure compliance with necessary safety standards.”
But what does all of this really mean? Or in other words what is the government really trying to say?
Is the government trying to say that if the operator was registered this crash could/would not have taken place? That if he had a piece of paper saying that he has paid the requisite fees to the department to conduct the activities would automatically mean that they are now safe?
That the department is now conducting a “review” is indeed a welcome move, but we haven’t forgotten how this activity came to be in the first place and whose. Who wants to bet that the same modus operandi wasn’t in place to allow the present unregistered operator to continue operations under the full glare of the law enforcement?
Goa tourism: Coming to the point
Goa’s tourism sector continues to make news for all the wrong reasons. But it appears to me that the narrative is changing -- changing in a manner that is now closer to recognising what Goa’s tourism industry’s real problems are.
Not that anything is being done to tackle the underlying problems, but at least they are being highlighted.
Take for instance an instance a local woman recounted on Reddit that was quickly picked up by mainstream media and this thread and the comments that followed about the experiences that women are facing on Goa’s beaches.
Unfortunately, none of this is new, and harassment of women travellers for whom Goa was once a safe space became increasingly common for the last 20-years or so. Back in the day, the shack owners with the help of their workers would police the beaches themselves in order to protect their clientele.
The answer isn’t really to increase police presence, because it isn’t the police’ job to teach fully grown adults basic manners and etiquette, but on the other hand, if nothing is done, you might as well kiss tourism goodbye.
It’s not so much the rapes and murders (and paragliding crashes) that deter tourists from visiting the state, but these everyday incidents to which everyone turns a blind eye that, more than anything, are responsible for the decline of tourism in Goa.
Then of course, there are the scammers, who make hay (by listing non-existent hotels on booking sites), while Goa gets the blame.
A doctoring problem
This is a story that will probably resonate with doctors or aspiring doctors in the state and is brought to you thanks to a (presumably young) doctor who has written in trying his best to explain the problem. At his request he shall remain anonymous.
You may have heard of engineering seats in Goa’s colleges running empty because there are simply no takers for the amount of seats that are available. But the other professions that every parent thinks their child aspires to become -- doctors -- too are facing a crisis of their own. That is, students who make it through Goa Medical College, which now has 200 seats and is producing that many doctors every year, are finding it hard to find their feet simply because Goa simply does not have the capacity for so many doctors -- which leaves them with few options -- unlike other professions (like engineering), an Indian medical degree doesn’t automatically mean you can practise abroad and one would need to clear additional exams, language tests, etc to get a job abroad.
Either they try to launch their own practice, join a corporate hospital or wait in hope for a government job in the GMC or in the health sector. Most government vacancies for the moment are on contract basis, salaries for which have remained stagnant for years on end and increments are often based on personal favours. Here’s the above mentioned doctor in his own words:
As a first Goan postgraduate in one of the newer specialties introduced in Goa Medical College, I have been waiting for a post in GMC for the last 4 years. However, the only option I have been offered were contract posts with meagre salaries which are far lower than what I have been earning even during my training period. These salaries are not at all conducive for day to day living costs and have not been revised for a long time which forced me to leave the state in search of better prospects. Even 4 years on, I do not have a timeline as to when I will return back home despite being a national level gold medalist in my field! As we churn out more and more doctors in a small state like Goa, we need to introspect if we actually have the capacity to accommodate them with fulfilling careers. Otherwise we are at a risk of brain drain and ultimately a similar situation like other fields where people are forced to leave the state for job opportunities.
Furthermore, there should be a much greater emphasis on fast tracking health related projects/recruitments in Goa- The tertiary care cancer centre at GMC has been delayed for years now and we are lagging much behind in the field of hematology and stem cell transplants which are lifesaving and a standard of care nowadays.
How Goa’s guardians guard Goa
And finally I have a story about Goa’s environment minister Aleixo Sequeira. The environment minister -- who is already facing complaints of illegal hill cutting in property he or his company owns in Chicalim is now in the eye of a storm over filling of a water body in the same village.
According to a complaint filed by Roman Vaz, a panch of the Chicalim panchayat an “unknown person” is filling mud in an agor (water pond/salt pan) one of seven in the village. The area falls in Survey No. 110/6 of the village of Chicalim and is in the name of Aleixo Antonio, de Piedade Sequeira. The photograph of the alleged violation speaks for itself. The question is -- will the authorities act? Or will it go the way the previous violations have? Don’t ask yourself this question, you already know the answer.
That’s all I have for you this week. Make sure you comment or write in, should you have something, anything to say.
You are also welcome to write in with leads and tip-offs or anything that you think might be interesting enough to include here.
As always, please share and help spread the word.
Until next week, then. Tchau!
In light of the Sunday's tragic death at Arambol; if one queries "Arambol" in YouTube; The top Search results are :
a) One Night with a Russian Girl (multiples of)
b) Russian Beach
c) Hidden Nude Beach
Chapri Youtubers are the biggest grave danger to Tourism in Goa.
Lack of proper governance, no political will at all.