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The MEGA META MESS
adopted 1989 & entered into force on 5 May 1992 The Meta Strips Project : The idea of the project in itself is excellent. To recycle is to regenerate. With the phenomenal growth in technology and its demands, especially in the developed world, has come about a mountain of scrap. Some of this scrap contains very valuable copper. This copper can be salvaged and recycled. The scrap is cheap. Nobody in the developed world wants it. In fact, they want to dump it. There are rich dividends to be obtained by salvaging valuable copper from valueless scrap. Pure, simple, smart economics ! The Question : If it is so simple & smart, why is Goa the "beneficiary" of such largesse? One has to ask this question as there are few who have given to Goa, thus far, without there being a very special reason ! Many have taken from Goa and returned precious little back to Goa. Precious little. The Answer : It is European scrap which will return pure metal to Europe and leave some money and a lot of scrap toxin behind in Goa ! A humble suggestion : All ye brethren All over the world .... Please recycle your own waste in your own yard . Goa has no need for any more of your toxic stuff . Background :
The Goans, as the residents of Goa are known, have gone about their lives in the villages for centuries, quite oblivious to what happens in the corridors of power in the capital city called Panjim, Pangim, Panaji or Ponnje. Masters have come and Masters have gone. Each one has inflicted some form of harm or another, on Goans. Regardless of the feelings or views of the Goan masses, the political masters sitting in the capital city in tandem with the wishes of 'money bags' did as they saw fit. Regard for popular wishes, feelings or even the environment have never been given any consideration beyond lip-service. Several projects were undertaken and completed much against the advice of environmental groups and popular wishes. The popular refrains were " The environmental groups are only politically motivated trouble makers. The people ? They are Goans, Remember? What do they know? "
Over the past 30 years, the powers that be were able to engineer the placement of at least two environmentally disastrous projects right in and through the hearts and heartland of Goa and Goans, and that too, with relative panache. One is the toxin spewing Zuari Agro Chemicals and the other is the environment disturbing Konkan Railway. If the political machinations had been right, there might even have been a nuclear plant bang in the middle of Goa, courtesy the late Goa ironman, Dayanand Bandodkar. So, when time came for the META STRIPS project, Goa was the natural choice. It is after all the land of "Chalta Hai" (it's OK), "Zalaach Pahije" (It must happen) and "Sossegado" (Ah! life is breeze-easy). This project apparently was destined initially for the western India State of Gujarat, but was diverted to Sancoale, Goa after a brief "sigh" at the neighbouring village of Verna. Sancoale, Goa: The factory site was established on the Sancoale plateau. The village of Sancoale lies between two major towns of Goa i.e. Vasco da Gama and Margao. The villages of Verna and Cortalim are adjoining. The factory site is located in the midst of a cluster of villages, the nearest residence being just 160 metres away. Under the plant site lies porous, laterite stone. Any effluent released by the plant has a very good opportunity of seeping into the ground water table . The Application Process : First, an advertisement sponsored by GIDC ( Goa Industrial Development Corporation ) appears in the local newspapers. This advertisement is seen to "invite" the META principals to set up shop in Goa. Step
two, on September 7, 1996,
Curiously enough, a day before the company actually applied for this license, the Goa State Pollution Control Board convened a meeting to discuss the application. That the so-called Goa Pollution Control Board could call for such a meeting when the company had not even applied for license with Director of Industries (the principal licensing authority) remains but one smoking gun in this terribly underhand and corrupt attempt to hoodwink Goa and its people. Approval for this project was granted by then Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane and Industries Minister Luizinho Faleiro. A new company Meta Strips was given a No Objection Certificate to open the said plant based upon the approval granted by Rane and Faleiro. Were the people of Sancoale given all the information and asked for any input? No! Was the scientific community at Goa University asked for input? No! Were environmental groups in Goa taken into confidence and asked for their input? No! Did the Goa Government ask its Public Works Department if there would be enough water and electricity to supply this company? No! Does this whole process look suspicious? Tell us what you think! In a State where it takes enormous amount of time and 'weight' to get a single permission to get electricity connection for a private home, this speed of process in approving a factory of this magnitude is astonishing to say the least. Perhaps, it ought not to be. In a State where the average household suffers from chronic power cuts and water shortages, this approval is mind boggling. Perhaps, it ought not to be. As expected, the people of Goa revolted under the leadership of AMCAC. The Goa Government played the usual song: wait, meet, have an one man inquiry etc and finally allowed the factory to proceed. TGF condemns the presence of a factory in a residential site. Enough pollution and degradation has taken place in Goa. Enough. Such autocracy was expected under the dictatorship of the Portuguese dictator Dr. Antonio Salazar. That was one more reason we got rid of him. In a democracy, it should be left to the people to accept or decline the presence of any factory, base, bombing range, prison etc in their backyard. It is the business of the government to have OPEN town hall meetings where everyone can make their case and debate it. This did not happen in Sancoale.....did it? To those who argue that the Government sometimes has to look at the greater good of the State, and that employment is the major consideration that the State has to take into account, please vide the following: http://www.garynull.com/Documents/erf/pvc_dioxin_enough_is_enough.htm Convent residents and other Louisiana activists are fighting the proposed industrial complex, which would manufacture 1.1 billion pounds of PVC plastic (better know as "vinyl") each year. They argue that Louisiana authorities would violate federal civil rights laws if they licensed the Shintech plant in a predominantly African-American community where pollution is already making people sick. The outcome of this civil rights battle will set important legal precedents. == Enough Said ! TGF May 9, 2001 adopted 1989 & entered into force on 5 May 1992
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There
is a tiny little State on the west Coast of India called Goa. It is famous for
its beaches, music, cuisine, hospitality and incredible beauty. It is also known
for a placid set of inhabitants who are quite happy to go through the normal
rigors of life and then return to their country homes to relax while
enjoying a delicious meal of fish or mutton xacuti or vindaloo along with the
odd glass of wine, whiskey, beer or the native caju feni.
With
most of the media in the control of big business, the valiant environmentalists
have been effectively marginalized and the few brave and upright journalists who decided
to stand up, continue to face the force of the 'editorial muscle'. What is
indeed surprising is that the bold and the 'fed up with the nonsense' have
risked their lives and their livelihood to confront the injustice meted
out by "money bags".