People will have to become politicians; Goan have led most successful movements: Claude

MARGAO: A meeting was organised at Fatorda on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti demanded cleansing of corrupt system. Beginning with a protest at the Town and Country Planning on 1 October, Goans moved to Fatorda on Wednesday demanding the dismissal of the Chief Town Planner and need to scrap of amendments 17/2 and 39 (A) of the Town and country planning act. The theme of the meeting was Bapu ‘Amchem Goem vanchtelem?’ – Bapu will our Goa survive.

Environmentalist Claude Alvares while speaking at the "Bapu – will our Goa Survive?" programme organized at Fatorda said, “Politicians are the biggest problem so people should become politicians. People have led so many successful environmental movement.

Alvares said that Goans have spearheaded the most successful environment movements in the country. Recalling the 1973 agitation against Zuari he narrated how the powerful factory was forced to change its production process. He also recalled how people led successful movements against the SEZs, the Regional Plan 2011 and the ouster of Nylon 6,6 which was attempted to be set up in Goa by the most powerful US multinational Du Pont.

Former MLA Uday Bhembre caution that the number of Goans was rapidly falling in Goa. While people blame the politicians, he cautioned that it is the voters who elect the politicians and they have no one but themselves to blame.