Towards ressurecting civil society in Goa in support of Sao Jose de Areal

"A village whose protests against pollution have been forgotten by the government and civil society"

-Neshwin Almeida in the Goan, October 20, 2012

https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/death-by-coal/1514.html

Forgot by Government and Civil society. This is how Neshwin Almeida dissected  the pollution issues in Sao Jose de Areal village in South Goa.

This is brilliant insight into politics of memory and memory of politics being pointed out as cause of suffering of People of Sao Jose de Areal.

Why did Government ignored protests of the villagers?

Why did Civil Society in Goa ignore protests against phenomenal so incivil and dark?

It's important to reflect here. What constitutes Government? What constitutes Civil society?

If both Government and Civil society has ignored pollution issue of Sao Jose de Areal it mean both want Sao Jose de Areal to continue in black misery.

Why there is no intervention around memory when it was identified as cause of daily death of the living in Sao Jose de Areal?

Lessons we get to learn are truly instructive. 

You are welcome to imagine powerful and vibrant Civil society that will generate sufficient Resilience to tackle and push out black reality of Sao Jose de Areal successfully.

Soa Jose de Areal has talented people and Pollution issue from Dempo owned Goa Carbons limited is daily menacing issue. Why people competent in writing haven't articulated it persistently over the years?

Conclusion is simple: the intelligentsia of the village are not interested in welfare of the village as far as pollution issues are concerned. They are busy in their project of diverting attention away through their writing. Not every one can be fooled every every time. Someday truth will escape through the cracks in the wall.

Its time now to put the issue of Sao Jose de Areal pollution on our minds. We may be affected directly, indirectly, remotely or not at all. This is clear case of social oppression primarily and environmental issue secondarily.

We need to build up Solidarity network with the villagers of Sao Jose de Areal as foundation of redress mechanism. Without strong social relations environmental interventions are not workable.

So my friends put up your thinking caps and come out with measures needed to take up:

1.

2.

3.

You will have your own ingenuity to fill up the above and share back.

After dozen years Sao Jose Areal Goa Carbon siege story still relevant

Dozen years ago Neshwin Almeida observed that village of Sao Jose de Areal is under siege in his investigative writings still available online:

https://www.thegoan.net/goa-news/death-by-coal/1514.html

Here is the team from Goa Carbons that operates behind the scenes to maintain the siege with its iron grip. They are currently board of directors of Goa Carbon Limited who operates three factories in India in Chattisgarh, Odisha and Goa. 

For some peculiar reasons board of directors still consider the lives of people residing in Sao Jose de Areal as dispensibe and their lungs and all other organs of their bodies can be stocked with that black nasty release from this red category factory in the middle of village.

And here we go enumerating these bunch of guys:

1. Shrinivas V. Dempo, Promoter and Chairman. He loves to promote pollution in Sao Jose de Areal. He is also heading Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), currently. His wife Pallavi Dempo contested last Parliamentary elections and did not spend single span of even 24 hours in Sao Jose de Areal to inhale black perfume released by their family enterprise.

2. Kiran Dhingra, Independent Director. She was Chief Secretary of Goa. We are not sure as to why she has to soil her hands in this crime in her retirement days.

3. Nagesh Pinge, Independent Director 

4. Subodh Nadkarni, Independent Director 

5. Subhrakant Panda, Independent Director

6. Rajesh S. Dempo, Non-Executive Director 

7. Jagmohan Chabbra, Non-Executive Director

8. Anupam Misra, Executive Director

This polluting company was founded by Vasantrao Dempo who is notirious for mining destruction of Goa. 

Let's keep this under scanner as this is amongst most dangerous consequences of Indian amnexure of Goa through conquest in 1961.