Transport: Goa desperately needs reliable public transport like suburban train or metro

BY RAJAN NARAYAN

AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when the coronavirus scared even the Pope and Mohammad. For a Saturday following the week when an increasing number of young teenagers die in accidents. For a Saturday following the week when there is desperate need for public transport in our cities big and small. For a Saturday following the week when the cost of construction is increasing. For a Saturday following the week when we observe a growing aggressiveness in the Muslim minority community in Goa.
And a few stray thoughts on the coronavirus seem to have scared even His Holiness the Pope and the King of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has cancelled flights for Hajj fearing that saitan (evil) has taken the form of coronavirus. In the normal course Pope Francis holds a daily mass in front of the windows facing Vatican Square in Rome. For the first time the Pope conducted the mass in privacy and had it transmitted by television and social media. Not because the Pope was frightened of catching the coronavirus but because he did not want the several lakh of people attending the mass to catch coronavirus.
In the other case as it is there are clashes and incidents during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca-Medina which claims many lives. This time the Shaikh Mohammad of Saudi Arabia did not want to add to the risk by exposing the millions who come to the Hajj to coronavirus.
The coronavirus has caused had caused havoc to the stock markets. The census has been falling by more than 15% since the fear of the coronavirus spread. Not just Dalal Street but markets the world over including the London and New York markets collapsed. Following a steep fall in the price of oil/petroleum which is come down to 30%.
The most deadly aspect of coronavirus is nobody knows where it will strike. A group of Italian tourists who had come to visit Rajasthan were trapped by coronavirus. There are many cruise ships which carry large numbers of Goan crew who have been isolated on ship because of the coronavirus which is becoming a pandemic. According to latest information five Goan sailors have been stranded on a coronavirus hit US ship stranded off the California coast. The only consolation is that so far there is not been a single case of either a Goan or a visitor to Goa having tested positive for corona virus.
The usual traffic jams have disappeared and the roads are smooth because there is a 50% drop in air traffic to Goa. It is been estimated that the loss to airports worldwide would be more than three billion dollars. Many international conferences including those to be held in India and Goa have been cancelled.
The problem with coronavirus unlike other virus like the SARS virus or Swine flu is that we have seen in the past that the incubation period is a minimum of 14 days. So far no cure has been discovered for the coronavirus. The simplest way of testing for coronavirus is through thermal scanners. Which is a kind of thermometer waved at passengers to check their temperature. High fever is the most common symptom of coronavirus. If the temperature is above 105 degrees the traveler is immediately isolated and treated in regular and temporary health facilities. Thermal scanning of passengers is going on at the Dabolim Airport. Isolation wards have been set up not only in the Goa Medical College & Hospital and the airport, even at the Margao railway station. There is a desperate shortage of face masks and sanitizers in Goa. The simplest way of escaping the virus is to wash your hands frequently to prevent transmission to others. Which is why the namaste has become very popular as nobody wants to shake hands any longer.

TEEN ACCIDENTS

AND a few stray thoughts on the increasing number of accidents among teens in Goa. The law is that young people cannot drive a bike till they are 18 years old. The unfortunate part is that parents permit and even encourage their minor children to ride cars, not to mention bikes. I recall coming out of a conference at the Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts at Panaji Altinho when I saw the minor daughter of a senior industrialist driving a Mercedes with her at the wheel and he sitting alongside. I have no doubt that when papa is away the 14 year old will start driving the car on her own. It is become a fashion for teens to have racing competition down and up the Miramar-Dona Paula road which includes a few stunts to make it more exciting. Any number of complaints have been filed against the teenage races not only on the Dona Paula road but on bridges with no police surveillance or any action taken. As it is the condition of our roads and bridges are so bad that even if you are over 18 years old you are bound to meet an accident.
This week on Monday three young teenagers of 15 years something lost control of a car which fell down a steep incline. It was a waste of three young lives in their prime of their life. One would assume that filmstars and celebrities would set an example to our youth. A case is still pending against Salman Khan whose car ran over half-a-dozen people who were baking for a bakery in Mumbai. The celebrities themselves have been victims, remember the son of Chitra and Jagdish Singh dying in a fatal accident in Mumbai.
I wish everyone would allow the posting on facebook. My good friend Mr Arun Baba Naik has posted that he will un-friend any friend who gives keys of car or scooter to a minor to go for a joyride. The police should take cognizance of this kind of violations of the laws by minors more seriously than simple offenses like not wearing helmets, seat belts, and speaking on the mobile while driving or riding. Minors found driving or racing should be fined between 10,000 to25,000. It is only when the pocket pinches that minors will learn a lesson. Unfortunately in Goa everyone knows everyone and fixing is so common that most culprits get away.
The Central Transport Department has increased fines on traffic violations very steeply. As against 100 for not wearing a helmet the fine can go up to a1000. Driving without a seat belt the fine can go up to 5,000. For driving under influence of alcohol you can be fined up to10,000. A repeat offense it can lead to the cancellation of license. Admittedly the fines at present are not an adequate deterent for many flouting traffic rules. Besides the cops are so corrupt that the bribe they extort is much lower than the official fine. The only people who will benefit from higher fines is the cops who will ask for bigger kickbacks.
Unfortunately there is no traffic discipline in India. In other countries event the King of England will be hauled up and arrested if he is responsible for breaking traffic rules. The authorities are very strict about drunken driving. If any individual or group is caught for intoxicated his or her driving license and the pub (bar) license is cancelled. Which is why pub owners force their customers to leave their car behind if they are drunk and urge them to take a cab home. Fortunately, the problem will solve itself by the time our children grow up as there will be automatic driverless cars then.

METRO FOR GOA, PLEASE

AND a few stray thoughts on the desperate need for public transport in our cities big and small. The majority of people in Mumbai use electric suburban trains, since it is very tedious to drive more than a 100 km a day. Mumbai is a vertical city which stretches almost 200 km if you take the suburbs into consideration. It is only people with a chauffeur who can afford to use cars daily to commute in Mumbai and even they get tired because of the long distances involved.
Besides the local trains all of which have first class compartments, now citizens also have the metro in almost every city. As in the case of Mumbai, London has its own network of local trains and metros. Moreover a stiff fee has to be paid if you want to enter the central part of the city. Garages in the central part in London are more expensive then houses in suburbs.
The problem with Goa is that there is no satisfactory public transport. Both public and private transport buses stop at 8pm and tourists cannot enjoy any night life without paying a fortune to private cabs. The traffic mafia has ensured that Ola and Uber services are not available in Goa. In the recent budget the Centre sanctioned a local train for Bengalaru. Goa with its large incoming and outgoing tourist population desperately needs a public-friendly quick mass and modern public transportation system like a metro.

GOA HIGH-RISES

AND a few stray thoughts on the increasing cost of construction in Goa. In early 2000 the cost of flats ranged from 10 to15 lakh even in gated colonies. Now the price has crossed a crore. Ironically, while there is no demand for cheaper 1BHKs there continues to be huge demand for luxury villas and Portuguese villas. There are flats in Mathais Plaza ranging from 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet which can cost as much as 5 crore. Most of these flats are bought by rich migrants from outside. This is because of the huge cost differential between the cost of land in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa. While the cost of land is10,000 to `50,000 per sq ft in Delhi and Mumbai it is the same per sq meter in Goa. Which means that flats in Goa are ten times cheaper. What has been happening is that residents of Mumbai are selling their multicrore flats in Mumbai city centers and moving to Goa. They not only get flats of similar size or even larger flats in Goa and they still have enough money left to invest in a pension plan for themselves. The primary reason for the increase in the cost of flats is shortage of land. There was a time when there was a ban on the sale of agricultural land and orchards. Successive corrupt politicians permitted the conversion of agricultural land and orchards into settlements and commercial zones.
When I first came to Goa in 1983 there was not a single gated colony or an eight-storeyed building between Miramar and Dona Paula. There was no building taller than a coconut tree. Now high-rise structures have come up even in villages like Taleigao and Goa Velha. The other city in Goa which is witnessing a huge boom in construction is port city Vasco da Gama. This might not last too long as the Airport Authority has objected to high-rise buildings in the funnel zone of the airport. Ironically, India is the only country which makes houses out of brick, mortar, cement and steel. In most western countries including the US and UK houses are now built out of hard wood. They do tend to shake a bit when there is a cyclone or heavy winds but stay stable.
Moreover most residents who work in the city choose to live in the suburbs. This is possible because of an excellent network of express motorways where the minimum speed limit is 250 km per hour, so much so you can commute long distances to work and back in one hour. You can hardly see any buses or even trucks on the highways in the western countries. Perhaps the cost of housing will come down sharply if cheaper material like hardwood is used. It is the cost of land and construction that gives rise to huge slums like Indira Nagar and Fukat Nagar near the Zuari river. These slums thrive as they enjoy protection of politicians for whom they are vote banks.

MUSLIM AGGRESSION?

AND a last stray thought on the growing aggressiveness of the Muslim minority community in Goa. Christians and Hindus have lived in close harmony for decades in the state. Of course, there have been instances with Saraswats calling Catholics “dukor” (pigs) occasionally. But by and large the Hindu and Catholic communities are very well integrated. As Pratima Kamat points out in her `Farar, Farar’ there is a lot of fusion between Hindu and Catholic customs. The family deities of most Goans are female. Which is why you find that a majority of deities are Shanta Durgas and Mangheshis and Mahalsas. The Catholics on their part choose to worship Mother Mary (popular reference is as Saibin) rather than Jesus Christ. Many of the rituals followed in churches and temples are similar. For instance, in the Milagres Church, Mapusa, oil is anointed just as in Hindu temples. In the Shanta Durga Temple at Fatorda Catholics from Cuncolim have precedence in worship over Hindus. This is because the Church was first located in Cuncolim and then it moved to Fatorpa. In the Zagor festival in Siolim it is Catholics who are main participants. Hindus and Catholics have lived in Goa together for over 400 years together. They are used to each other’s customs and manners.
This is not the case with the Muslims and other communities in Goa. At the time of Liberation the proportion of population of Muslims was less than half percent. It is now estimated to be almost 20% as dramatized by the mega rally of the Muslim community against CAA in the Azad Maidan. Moreover most of the maulana now come from UP rather than Karnataka and tend to be aggressive. When I came here in 1983 I never saw a burqa or a hijab. The new migrants are more orthodox and bring their rural customs and habits with them. Whichever the community if you are a migrant you have to learn to integrate with the local population.
The confrontations between Muslims and Catholics are growing because of fights about availability of land. As the numbers of Muslims keep increasing there will be greater demand for masjids, madrassas and burial grounds. There is a desperate shortage of land for burial in Margao. Every Municipality and Taluka must make provision for adequate space for burial grounds for the growing Muslim community.
It would be desirable if the Muslim community in Goa avoid wearing burqa and hijab. In France for instance it is forbidden for any child to wear any symbol which reveals his/her religious identity and this includes crosses. Goa has never known a communal riot so far and it is our hope that the Muslim community will live in harmony with both the majority Hindu community and the minority Catholic community.