Edgar Ribeiro (96), former chief town and country planner of the Government of India, stated emphatically that the Goa Foundation’s book, “Fish, Curry and Rice” was the ideal source book for Goa’s sustainable development.
Ribeiro, who released the latest, fifth edition of the book at the 14th Goa Arts and Literature Festival in the presence of Goa Foundation’s co-founders, Norma and Claude Alvares at the International Centre Goa (ICG) on Saturday termed the book a “masterpiece”.
According to Ribeiro, the timing of the latest edition of the book was perfect as it coincided with the people’s “Enough is enough” environmental movement in the state, which according to him had pushed the politicians and bureaucrats of Goa on the backfoot.
Ribeiro also came down heavily on the mining companies of Goa blaming them for displaying “absolute greed” in destroying the ecology of Goa.
He said, “They will dig as deep as they can.” Claude Alvares, Goa Foundation’s co-founder explained how mining was destroying Goa in many different ways. “We have recently filed a 4th contempt petition in the High Court against rampant sand mining in Goa. Quarrying too has increased all over Goa,” Alvares said.
Alvares mentioned that there were six, whole pages of photographs in their book displaying the damage caused by mining. “The companies dig so deep into the earth, that the trucks look like small ants. There is no sustainable way to do mining,” Alvares said. According to Alvares, all the iron ore from Goa was going to China. “Why destroy the ecology of Goa to serve another country, which is hostile to us?” Alvares asked.
In his concluding remarks, Ribeiro recommended that the state’s town planning officers must listen to the people of Goa in making their plans.
