REMO’S WISHFUL THINKING by Nisser Dias

As recent as last week internationally acclaimed pop star Goa’s own Remo Fernandes was quoted in the section of the press, “The garbage problem is very simple to solve – it is mainly plastic. All it requires is a government which wants to work, not merely divert funds to Switzerland. I challenge the minister in question: give me your powers and I will solve the full problem with three months. If I succeed, you give up your chair. If I lose, I’ll stop making music. Deal?”
I could not agree more with Remo with the former part of his statement, however though in the latter part of his assertion, this out spoken personality exposes his ignorance of the enormity of scientific disposal of garbage be it bio-degradable or non-degradable. When we speak about garbage it is not only waste that is generated in the hotels, eateries and households. Whatever is discarded is garbage, be it industrial waste, construction debris, information technology junk, hospital rejects, chemicals, rubber, styrofoam, glass wool and the list can go on. Just segregating plastic from bio-degradable waste is not the solution and over-coming scientific disposal of garbage from all over Goa in three months is wishful thinking.
Just like Remo, not only me, a lot of more people would like to see a cleaner Goa or maybe they would like to see this paradise on earth like Singapore or Oman but let us be practical, we Goans and or rather Indians lack civic sense. There is an urgent need to inculcate in ourselves and in our children the necessity to maintain cleanliness in our homes, villages and cities. This process is also an important part of the exercise of garbage disposal. Just lifting or clearing garbage and making it disappear is not the solution for scientific garbage disposal. A system should be put in place wherein every member of the society, be it adults or children contribute towards doing their bit to keep Goa clean. Of course it should be enforced with an iron hand. It is not easy to make people change overnight but when a stringent fine is imposed for littering then citizens fall in line much faster.
For the moment, Goa has become a huge garbage dump. Heaps of household waste is dumped just outside housing societies and colonies, by the roadside, lanes and by lanes. Construction debris and mounds of premix line our national and state highways. Tyres and other rubber material, glass wool ends up in mangroves. Styrofoam baskets, livestock wastes, vegetables and fruits are dumped in the ponds, rivers and other water bodies. Shack owners lining our beach stretch bury their waste in the pits dug into the sand, sewage water is also directed in the pits.
Saying garbage menace or woes can be solved in three months is just talking in the air. Do we have the infrastructure, equipment in place to tackle the problem? Have we identified areas for dumping construction debris, are we equipped to recycle plastics or dispose tyres? Is collection of garbage in the cities efficient? Do we segregate our garbage at homes or is it left to our age old proven method of using scavengers like pigs, cat and fowls to dispose our garbage in villages.
Even if Remo Fernandes is empowered with the Urban Development ministry which oversees garbage management can he bulldoze his way through the red-tapism of government procedures for procurement of purchasing equipment like vehicles and other machinery and setting up infrastructure such as treatment plants? Goans are proud of Remo through his music but in this case he would be better advised by Dr. Claude Alvares, Patricia Pinto, Clinton Vaz and some others who have hands-on knowledge of dealing with the garbage, people and government.
While on the subject of the government, Urban Development minister Joaquim Alemao has utterly failed in managing garbage generated in the state. Worse is the fact that after spending crores of rupees of precious exchequers money he did not even oversee commencement of a single treatment plant at Sonsoddo though he backed an unproven technology and an unknown company to the hilt. What he achieved was reprimand by the High Court and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) endorsed that he had spent precious exchequers money at the same time it fortified the allegation that he gained through commissions.
In this circumstances Remo cannot expect any help from the government especially the current rudderless government led by chief minister Digambar Kamat. Of course on Remo’s call we can expect hordes of volunteers coming forward for a short span of time however how many Goans can dedicate ourselves in maintaining cleanliness in Goa for a long period of time.
Personalities like Dr. Claude Alvares, Patricia Pinto, Clinton Vaz would be ever willing to share and join in Clean Goa campaign. People would be more then willing to contribute financially, but more importantly valuable contribution would be being on the field and helping in picking up the garbage by getting your hands dirty.
Patricia, Dr. Claude and Clinton are working tirelessly to manage garbage and change the mindset of the people, if Remo knows a better way than he should share it with them. But for the moment Remo Fernandes should not sacrifice his abilities to compose music because of some uneducated, illiterate minister as Goans will neither have Remo’s music nor clean Goa.

16 comments:

Emediavoice said...

That's it. Now let the Goans keep cleaning the garbage of Ghantis or wash the ministers dhotis.

D.JUSTIN said...

It is very easy to clean Goa from garbage. The Goans should declare a garbage day, where by they have to come with the garbage at the Assembly complex , Porvorim and set it on fire along with the 40 thieves of Goa. The problem will be solved for once and all.

David Leitao said...

Goan Politics is like garbage and sewage !!!! Goan Politics is like a cesspool of corruption where the big lumps of shit float up to the top !!!

On the centre stage in Goan politics we have Diggu Kaka, Chorchill, Jokin illegal Mining Alemao, Taliban Monsterrat, RSS Parrikar, No football Babu Azgaokar, Sexy Vishwajeet Rane, Drug Mandrekar, QUEENY scamster Mauvin Gouuuudinho, Aurvedic Subash shirodkar, Micckey de Ratol should I add more you guys complete the list !!! Goan politics stinks !!!!

Gobor said...

Nisser I beg to strongly disagree with you. Remo wont speak unless he has I say give me only two months and I can solve the problem.  If not cast me in the
garbage mount at Sonsoddo.

Afedupgoan said...

Mr. Nisser as usual you have written a nice well balance article but with out hurting i wish to air my humble thoughts which i wish should not be taken too personally by anyone.
1) After reading above article i remembered a dialogue from a bollywood film called Phir Hera Pheri where in Paresh Rawal asks Sunil Shetty whether he has any better idea than the one suggested by Akshay Kumar. I am not asking any body if they have a better idea than Mr. Remo.
2) Back riding is a great idea to reach ones destination more quickly. I am not saying anybody has mounted on the back of Mr. Remo.
3) Of course i would request Mr. Remo if he can please give some little precious time for the motherland Goa.

Please bear with me for my konklish English as i did my primary in mother tongue.

Don t mind it

afedupgoan

Mathew said...

The Chief Minister of Goa has done a good job for the last
four years. Garbage Mountains have gone up and our Beautiful Natural
Mountains are gone down due to Mining. Mosquitoes Population has gone up due to
dirt everywhere. Poor planning is taking place all over Goa. There is no proper
system because all the Elected Members of the Goa Assembly are Chosen BRAINLESS
DONKEYS. IT IS A  "SHAME"  FOR GOA AND GOANS.

Donefast said...

Politicians themselves are a big garbage that needs to be trashed, automatically all problems will be solved.

Papa Razi said...

We have 40 Garbage Dumps cum Shit Trucks running all over Goa. All these 40 Dumps are mobile and can be found everywhere. These garbage dumps has plenty of flies running around. These flies are called "crumb eaters". The 40 garbage dumps are ruling Goa by fluke, all garbage dumps have criminal records. Most of them are illiterates, extortionists, rapists, criminals and yet have muscles to use against the common man to terrorize the poor from rising against them. Most of the Goan Police Force salutes and polish these garbage dumps or else these police are thrown into the dumps deep down.

In general, Goa is controlled by Garbage Dumps.

David Leitao said...

Why should Remo help this 40 MLA chor to clear the garbage ??? Let the Monsterrat the Taliban de Taleigao, scamster Mauvin Gouuudinho, Jokin Alemao and Diggu Kaka sit on the pile of Garbage and play the banjo  their development has created the garbage by their high rise buildings !!!! Jokin Alemao is a KOLO he has siphoned off money meant for waste management to buy earth moving machinery alongwith Magaret Alva's husband to indulge in illegal mining Goenkar remember Adelia de Goa racket !!!! Mauvin Gouudinho manage your own garbage from the Miramar and Dona Paula buildings which you own. Soundrels Indulge in money laundering and tthen request Remo to help in Garbage management !!! You 40 Chors MLAs roll is the garbage you have created  PIGS are what you are !!!! Dukor ani Rann Dukor !!!! Leave Remo alone !!!! You 40 chor MLAs are GARBAGE thats what needs to be DISPOSED OFF before we have an EPEDEMIC !!!!!

Nelson said...

The Government should be doing much more in terms of collection of Waste. If they do not have the resources for bin collection, then they should charge households a reasonable amount for collection which would enable them to cover the cost of Machinery and whatever infrastructure is required. I can see this happening in real terms in the cities like Panaji, Margao and Mapusa. People are willing to pay. In villages it is a bit different and I don't think the poor Mundcars would be prepared to pay. I really can't see this happening in villlages. To give you an example our next door neighbour just flings all her rubbish across the next doors fence or else in the front gutter which eventually cloggs up the drains during the rains. Such people should be punished or made to pay a penalty for the damage they cause to the Environement we live in. Every single one of us have the right to breathe in good quality air and not live in dirty and filthy conditions. I completely agree with Remo, a lot of people would like to see Goa a cleaner and greener place.So as fellow citizens let us all Goans contribute and do our bit in keeping our Goa a clean place to live in.

Mathew said...

You forgot to name the big Destroyer of Forest, PHILIP NERI.

Shambuswamy said...

The easiest way to clean and rid Goa of garbage is to drive out all the GHANTTIS out of Goa alongwith their god-fathers like the Papa Rane n family, Tai-the daughter of an illegitimate man,Luisinho,Kumpar Chorchill, garbage Joaquim,Biggest God-father of GHANNTIS Kannadiga MLA in Goa Mauvin Godinho,Mulla Digambara,Joker Damu Naik, Narendra Manoo Modi, and all the other MLAs who live off protection money given by Ghanttis.

Anonymous the VIII said...

What stinks more in Goa is the politics and the politicians rather than the garbage.
But our section of Goans who elect these stinking garbage to represent them have their nose blocked and skull empty.

Neville said...

Neat solution, my dear. Add Naguesh Karmali & Tai bai to the bonfie, I wholly support it.

Gobor said...

CM is(was) a narlkar  . he thinks goenkar are bonde

John Da Silva Collaco said...

“The garbage problem is very simple to solve – it is mainly
plastic. All it requires is a government which wants to work, not merely divert
funds to Switzerland. I challenge the minister in question: give me your powers
and I will solve the full problem with three months. If I succeed, you give up
your chair. If I lose, I’ll stop making music. Deal?


The above statement obviously is a hyperbole deliberately
made by Remo the renowned pop star to emphasize that the garbage problem is not
beyond solution. There are practical and environmentally friendly solution to
disposal of garbage but unfortunately the Goa Government with headed by chimpanzees
are constantly looking for project that would fill their own pockets and are
not concerned about the stinking garbage problem.


Goans are aware that Claude Alvares the renowned
environmentalist tried his best to solve the problem but the typical insatiable
ministers and indolent government officials made his life miserable by
siphoning funds and resources meant for the garbage disposal project into their
own pockets.  Nisser Dias has sensibly
summed the corrupt attitude of the Government and the concerned minister’s
incompetence. However Nissers’ indication that Remo exposes his ignorance in
making the statement is uncalled for and stinks like the garbage he talks about
with an air of I know about it all! Nisser, stop making your presence felt by dishing
out mundane sermon on garbage issue, typical traits of Johnny come lately
journos. Remo is multitalented and can sing his way to a garbage free Goa.


Note: My apologies to the Chimpanzees’ for downgrading them
to the level of politicians.


John Da Silva Collaco USA

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