FLASHBACKS

THE YEAR 2000 IN PASSING

MANDOVI MAY DRY UP
If the nullahs of Bandura in Degaon and Sangahole in Amboli are blocked by the Karnataka government, as proposed, to set up a new project to dam the major source of the Madei river, than the Mandovi river is likely to end up in a nullah or even dry up Goa government keep saying that they would not allow Karnataka to disturb the ecology of Goa with its proposed Mhadei irrigation and power project, which would mean the diversion of the Madei river water at the upper stream and destruction of Goa's eco-system. Meanwhile, the villagers of Nersa and the surrounding areas in Karnataka have eventually woken up to the likely danger to their habitation and livelihood, and have joined under the banner of Madei Bachao Andolan to oppose the project to dam the Mahadei rivers two perennial sources.

STATE OF CHIEF MINISTERS
As a State, Goa changed 13 chief ministers in 10 years. In another record of sorts, in the 15 months since the last Assembly elections, nearly 80 per cent of the 40 MLAs have either become ministers or held the office of Speaker and Deputy Speaker 29 legislators have become ministers in three different governments.

BONDED TO BONDS
While Goans were given the impression that it was the issue of the controversial Rs.150-crore bonds which prompted the BJP to scuttle the Sardinha's shuttle, CM Parrikar says that his government has decided to continue with the bonds issue after obtaining a legal opinion. The only change is that the one-time syndicated charges of the firm have been scaled down from 2.9 to 2.2 per cent, saving about Rs.1.6 crore to the State exchequer.

COMPUTERS-FOR-SCHOOLS ARRIVE AT LAST
In October 2000, 100 free computers along with monitors, donated from abroad under the Goa Computers-In-Schools Project, finally reached Goa after a three months of trying time for Daryl Martyris and Jude Miranda to get the shipment through. The computers will be distributed to 12 schools in Goa. Goans around the world worked hard via the Internet to help students in Goan schools to have access to computer education through the Computers for Goan Schools Project, the seeds of which were sown by Emmanuel D'Silva, formerly of the World Bank. Daryl Martires and Dave Futers were very keen to collect used computers for Goa schools. Daryl managed to collect 100 computers and even managed to get the consignment shipped free of cost to India. The Goacom website was helping the project throughout.

POSTAL STRIKE
The postal employees throughout the country launched an indefinite strike, with all the employees in Goa joining the stir, to demand redressal of their long-pending demands. The postal strike sent Goans and those dealing in Christmas and greetings cards into a tizzy. Everyone heaved a sigh when the postal employees' unions relented and withdrew their strike virtually on the eve of Christmas.

SHRIPAD IN UNION CABINET
In recent years, Goan Members of Parliament have found a berth, however small, in the Union Cabinet. It began with Eduardo Faleiro, followed by Ramakant Khalap and BJP's Shripad Naik carries on the tradition. The North Goa MP was inducted into the Union cabinet on September 30, 2000, as a Minister of State. The post was vacated by Satyanarayana Rao, saying that ministers of his rank "do not have sufficient work".

EARTHQUAKES
Goa experienced low intensity earth tremors at 11.40 pm on March 12. People were shaken up by the earthquake, particularly those living on the higher floors of the buildings, as beds, tables and cupboards rocked for a couple of seconds. Many rushed out of their flats in fear but there were no casualties. The cocks crew before midnight, crows cawed and cows mooed in the villages. The Indian Meteorological Observatory in Panjim recorded 11 more tremors of earthquake between 11.34 pm the next night and early moning. It was the second tremor (5.6 on Ritcher Scale) at 11.45 pm on Sunday night (after the first one at 11.34 pm, which was felt by many people as it lasted between 22 to 40 minutes. Goa was shaken awake yet again by another earthquake of moderate intensity at 6.03 am on September 5, with epicentre at Koyna. Indian geologists-Kusala Rajendran and C M Harish--at the Center for Earth Sciences in Thiruvanantharapuram claim that the spatial and temporal patterns of the recurring earthquakes in the Koyna region suggest the possibility of the fault zone becoming further unstable, progressively, lowering the stress needed to trigger an earthquake. The fault zone under the Koyna dam is being weakened by the annual reservoir filling. Hence the region may experience quakes even with minor changes in the reservoir level.

NEW SECRETARIAT
The new Assembly Complex at Penha de Franca was inaugurated by PM A B Vajpayee on March 5, 2000. While inaugurating the Rs.32-crore new Legislature complex PM Vajpayee said that the new complex would become a topic for discussion all over the country, for its exquisite architecture and state-of-art facilities, and that it will also turn into another tourist attraction. The building has been designed on international lines by M/s Karan Grover & Associates of Baroda. Delhi-based Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Limited executed the civil work, engineering and constructions. The electrification was done by Asrgree Engineers & Co from New Delhi and plumbing by D S Gupta from Delhi. There was no Goan contribution with the government firmly believing that Goans may excel in everything and everywhere, except in the land of their birth.

BOMB BLAST AT VASCO CHURCH
A sufficiently powerful bomb went off this morning at 10.50 am beside the St Andrew's Church in port town Vasco da Gama, shattering the window panes, causing cracks on the wall and knocking off some chunks of plaster. The houses and residential building around the church also shuddered with the impact of the blast. There were no casualties because the explosive was planted near the window, on the path leading to the cemetry, and not on the St Andrew's High School side, where the children were playing. The sudden blast baffled the inmates of the church. The top brass of the Goa police is stationed in Vasco because there is a rumour that four more bombs have been planted in the town. A blast anywhere in the vicinity of the huge IOC petrol tanks could wreck havoc in Vasco. The Church expressed deep shock and distress at the news of the explosion, but made an appeal for peace. CM Francisco Sardinha too expressed shock over the incident when we came around to inspect the damage. The Goa government sanctioned Rs.1 lakh for the repairs of the damage caused by the blast. Similar blasts also occurred at two other places in South India.

REGAL ROT
One fine morning, on June 5, 2000, the residents of the Sinquerim beach in Candolim found a large cargo ship, "River Princess" parallel to the beach. Had foreign tourists come straight to Candolim by sea? No. But the ship ran aground at the Sinquerim beach. Fine. It could be a tourist attraction thought the people but soon noticed a long trail of oil, which has been washed ashore in the vicinity of the ship. After three months of indecision, the Sardinha-led government eventually woke up virtually on the eve of the forthcoming tourist season, to the mess the cargo ship "Sea Princess" has been creating at the Candolim beach. Massive efforts were launched to contain the oil pollution and clean the beach. Moreover, the ship's owners-Salgaocar Industries Limited-have already brought a 30-member team of shipbreakers from Bhavnagar to begin the salvage operations. The new Goa government said in mid-November that it has decided to either tow away the grounded ship or break it at the earliest. Subsequently, Salgaocar Industries Pvt Ltd, the owners of the grounded ship "River Princess", proposed to the government their willingness to break the ship. A few days later, the North Goa district collector eventually lodged a police complaint against Anil Salgaocar, owner of 'River Princess' grounded of Sinquerim-Candolim, when the company failed to submit its plan for towing away the vessel as ordered by the government. Meanwhile, a survey team from Singapore arrived in Goa to study the possibilities of the vessel being towed away. While the matter is in the court, the Goa government has been cautioned by Smith Salvage International, Singapore, who had surveyed m v "River Princess", that the stranded ship should be salvaged before the next monsoons to avoid causing grave ecological pollution.

NEW AIRPORT FOR GOA
The Union Cabinet had given an approval on March 29 to the construction of a new airport of international standards at Mopa-Pernem in Goa. However, the Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav ruled out any new airport in Goa, which has landing facilities for evening and night flights. Yadav gave this information to Goa's BJP MP Shripad Naik in the Lok Sabha on Feb 24. South Goa Member of Parliament, Ramakant Angle, too opined that the proposed airport in Mopa is not really a requirement in the interest of the Goa state as the existing airport at Dabolim can be fully utilised by shifting the Navy to the nearby Naval Seabird in Karwar.

KONKANI IS GOA'S LANGUAGE
In a significant judgement, the division bench comprising Justice R K Bhatt and Justice R M S Khandeparkar have stated that Konkani is undisputedly the official language of Goa. The bench also ruled that the use of Marathi language for official purpose to reply to any communications received in that language itself cannot afford the status of official language to Marathi. This order came following the petition filed by the Marathi Rajya Bhasha Prasthapan Samiti and the Marathi Academy. The petitioners had challenged the State government notification dated November 7, 1996, by which recruitment rules for Group A, B, C and D posts under the government employment were announced, making the knowledge of Konkani language essential and that of Marathi language only desirable for recruitment to the said posts. The Marathi protagonists protested by setting up a Marathi Rajyabhasha Prasthapan Samiti, to ensure that Marathi is accorded the status of official language of Goa on par with Konkani. While addressing a meeting of the Goa Hitrakhan Manch at Vasco, internet journalist Sandesh Prabhudessai said that if Marathi becomes the official language of Goa, then we will open the doors of employment to over eight crore Marathi speaking population, which will definitely harm the interests of Goa and Goans. Now the controversy seems to have slid into oblivion.

COCONUT CRASH
The coconut prices in Goa hit rock bottom in one of the worst slumps since 1986. The prices came crashing down to as low as Rs.2 to Rs.3 from Rs.8 to Rs.10. While some farmers ascribed the crash to the availability of palmolein oil at rates cheaper than that of coconut oil, others say that it is due to the increase in coconut production.

HELMETS ON HIGHWAYS
The police sort to implement the rule maintaining that two-wheeler riders should compulsorily wear helmets on highways in view of the forthcoming monsoons in the State. At well-attended meeting at the TB Cunha hall in Panjim, speakers opposed the wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders. Some claimed that helmets cut off air supply to the upper part of the head of the rider. Continuous wearing of helmets can raise blood pressure, leading to irritation, headache, giddiness and also falling of hair, they said. Soon the authorities relented but by that time the helmet distributors had managed to get rid of the accumulated stock.

MONSOONS
Pre-monsoon thunder showers continued to lash Goa affecting normal life in most parts of the State. The Met bureau attributed the thunder showers to the development of a trough of low pressure between Rajasthan and the Kerala coast. Heavy rains have paralysed outdoor work all over the State; a slump was experienced by shop keepers. On June 12, flash floods ravaged Sanquelim and Bicholim, when the Valvanti river cutting through the two talukas swelled above the danger level. The water rose up to the roofs of low lying houses and submerged fields and roads. Rubina Gracias (11) and her mother were returning home after closing their shop in Shiroda at about 8.30 pm. While they were crossing a culvert, Rubina lost her balanced and fell into a nullah. Her mother could only wail as her daughter was swept away by the waters. The water treatment plants in Sanquelim and Khandeapar rivers were rendered unoperational and water supply service to entire North Goa was disrupted. Similar floods were experienced in Canacona on June 13, throwing the people in panic after the Talpona river paralysed the traffic in the area. Most of the low lying areas along the national highway and the interior roads leading to Sadolxem and Galgibaga were inundated. The overflooded river washed away fields in Khotigao and two houses suffered damage at Mokhand, raising fear in the hearts of the villagers of Bhatpal, Ardhaphond and others along the banks of the river. The Church in Goa asked all its comans, including the churches, seminaries, institutions and associations, to comanise prayer services and a voluntary collection drive, for the welfare of the 131 families, who were rendered homeless and destitute by the flash floods in Bicholim and Sattari talukas recently.

ANTI-PLASTIC
A significant component of the budget has been aimed at environmental concerns with a proposal of Green Goa Fund and Plastics Containment Fund. A Beaches Improvement Fund has also been mooted with revenue of Rs.25,000 on shacks and other contributions from other tourism areas, to tackle garbage disposal.

BASTORA BESTIALITY
On May 1, 1992, 90-year-old Martin D'Souza was done to death at Birmottem in Bastora. His adopted daughter Marianne (40) and her lover Gurudas Vishnu Pednekar were arrested and sentenced. On Valentine's Day, Gurudas allegedly hit his Valentine (Marianne) with a stick and thinking that she was dead, burnt the body to give it the appearance of a suicide, according to his statement to the police.

WORSENING HEALTH PROBLEMS
Justice Ranganath Mishra, chairman of the Human Rights Department of All-India Congress Committee and a former chief justice of India, said that the influx of people has brought a number of hazards--particularly health and criminal--and led to the deterioration in the level of living in the State. He added that Goa has a better society as compared to other States but the human rights problems are increasing and hence Goa should set up a human rights commission. He cited examples of threat from flesh trade and HIV.

BRIDGE WORK DELAY
Contractors Banka (India) Limited charged the PWD for the flagrant breach and violation of the undertaking given to the High Court that the company would mobilise men, machinery, equipment and material to speed up the work of the Siolim-Chopdem bridge, to ensure its completion by May this year.

STRAY ANIMALS
In February, the Public Grievances Forum and Sanatan Sanstha issued a legal notice to the Director of Municipal Administration and the Government of Goa, listing their grievances over the failure and neglect of the civic administration in taking steps to stop public nuisance caused by stray dogs and cattle.

PROBE IN CHILD'S DEATH
Swizal, an eight-month old orphan died after being bitten by ants at the Bal Niketan at Ribandar on January 8. The government ordered an inquiry into the fatality. It was found that Swizal along with another two kids were kept aside while the 'aaya' was changing the linen from the cradle. The aaya's attention was drawn when the child started screaming. Swizal was promptly shifted to the GMC but could not be saved. It was felt that she must have suffocated with the milk, she vomitted, having entered the wind pipe. However, the post mortem report of the child Swizal (Ravi) stated that the "death occurred due to shock as a result of multiple insect bites with aspiration of regurgitated stomach content into the main air passages". Pending further inquiry, the 'aaya' on duty on the fateful day was suspended and on the Old Goa police registered a case against the 'aaya' and other staff members of the Bal Niketan in Merces, for negligence resulting in the death of Swizal. The shabby state of the Bal Niketan at Ribandar, came to light only after the tragic death of the infant.

ZILLA PARISHAD
The first ever Zilla elections passed off peacefully recording 55 per cent voter turnout, for 30 seats in North Goa and 20 seats in South Goa. It threw up 50 new leaders including 17 women to don the mantle of elected representatives. Moreover, the MLAs and MPs elected from the constituencies having Zilla Parishad will be de facto members of the Zilla Panchayat body. The long-time politician, Mathany Saldanha, eventually broke the jinx and won from Cortalim seat and that too with the largest margin, in results declared on February 8. Mathany's victory signified a sufficient boost to the Anti-Meta Strips movement since Ms Nilima Mahadev Naik elected from Sancoale has also declared her support to scrap the project. Premanth Maulingkar, sarpanch of Tivim for 20 years, stressed the need for the decentralisation of administrative and financial power to the Zilla Panchayats for the development of the rural areas. He opined that the Zilla Panchayats will be able to concentrate on the remote rural areas only if the fully urbanized panchayat areas are delinked from the panchayat jurisdiction.

NOISE POLLUTION
In January, while admitting a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Goa Environment Federation, justices B N Srikrishna and R M S Khandeparkar of the Bombay High Court at Panjim, banned playing of amplified music between 10 pm and 7 am in open places in Goa, vide an interim order, until further notice. Advocate Ms Norma Alvares appeared for the petitioner. On January 24, the Nationalist Congress Party chief, Dr Wilfred de Souza, hit out at the government for what he called its "insensitivity to the national spirit" in not allowing institutions celebrate Republic Day in lieu of the recent High Court order banning music beyond 10 am. Dr Willy said that on Republic Day, one should be making noise and celebrating, and one should be bursting crackers to display our national pride. The Fantasy Music People and Napoleao Caldeira even convened a meeting of "concerned" Goans including tiatrists, musicians, music loves and others, in Margao on January 30, to discuss the effect of the High Court order stopping music after 10 pm. "People in Goa are accustomed to hold their weddings, dances and even feasts in the late hours of the night and the celebrations are generally accompanied by music," the convenors claimed. The citizens subsequently formed a Goa Music Lovers Association in Margao, under the convenorship of Napoleao Caldeira, to fight the High Court order banning use of loud speakers after 10 pm. The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court, in its modified order issued on January 31, allowed the Collectors of North and South to dispose off applications for the use of loud-speakers and music system beyond 10 PM in open areas. The Goa government has reportedly conveyed to the Union Environmental ministry its inability to enforce the directive barring amplified sound systems in open spaces beyond 10.00 pm because it would entail an additional expenditure to the tune of Rs.60 crore annually to beef up the police force

GOA'S GARBAGE WOES
Despite an ambitious garbage control law passed in 1996, Goa is still struggling to cope with the fast-growing non-biodegradable wastes like plastic bags and bottles. The city fathers also argue that garbage is not disposed off by citizens by segregating biodegradable waste from the non-biodegradable one. The village roadsides and adjoining open areas, particularly those close to the coastal places, are turning into ugly eyesores, with plastic bags, empty mineral waters, empty fast food/drink containers flying all over. These are being flung from the passing cars and buses by tourists, anywhere and anyhow. Added to this is the latest style of flat owners with vehicles, who collect their garbage and castoffs in large plastic bags, and just throw the bag anywhere along the road where no one sees them, while driving. The Ministry for Environment and Forests, Government of India, has directed the State authorities to set up a solid waste processing and disposal facilities by December 31, 2003, and for half-yearly monitoring of the projects.

CRIME
Goa's first Director General of Police, Rajinder Singh Sahaye, after a tenure of one year and 15 days, was relieved of the post in February. Sahaye said, "A police force less than 3,000 in number has to maintain law and order in a State with a population of approximately 14 lakh. The Goa police is performing exceedingly under such limitations." The people in Goa are educated and know their rights and duties better. This comparative advantage makes them different from the people of the other states. He said, in bigger states, besides New Delhi, the crimes can be suppressed but this cannot be done in Goa in the light of its higher literacy rate."
The husband-wife duo, Sanjay Avatar Singh Thakaran and Anjali Thakaran of Vaibhavnagar in Agra, wanted in the sensation double murder of newly married Vikas and Kavita Nanda while on their honeymoon in Goa, was arrested in Agra and lodged in the Mapusa lockup. Seby Rodrigues, a taxi driver from Loutolim, was taken into custody for interrogation by the Anjuna police on February 11, in connection with the killing of the Nanda couple in February last year. Seby is believed to have transported the con couple--Sanjay and Anjali Thakran--and Kavita Nanda from Colva to Ribandar and Anjuna beach.
On March 7, 35-year-old-Merciana Colaco of New Vaddem in Vasco was hacked to death by her husband Francisco Colaco (38), suspecting her of infidelity. Cops summoned by a neighbour could do little because the door was bolted from inside. One man who got a glimpse of the fight from the terrace, said that the couple was naked and the husband was hacking his wife with a koita (chopper). Francis Tome Colaco of New Vaddem in Vasco, confessed that he tortured and killed her because she was having an affair with another man. Francis hacked Merciana to death with a chopper, in their first-floor residence. Despite their strength the cops could not save Merciana because the door was bolted from inside while Francis committed the barbaric act, stabbing her 100 times. The couple were seen naked when one neighbour evesdropped from the terrace and witnessed the gory sight; Merciana's hands were tied. They were married in 1993 and have a six-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son. Contrary to the earlier claims of infidelity made by Francis against Merciana, he confessed to the police that he had relationships with his three earlier servants and that too with the knowledge of his wife. Francis claimed that his mother-in-law's involvement with witchcraft prompted him as well as Merciana to have illicit relationships. He claims that by killing his wife, he had destroyed evil.

ACCIDENTS
A vehicle population of 3 lakh on a road network of 4461 km puts heavy pressure on the motorist, the pedestrian and the road as well. Last year, nearly 200 people were killed in over 2000 road accidents in Goa, as against 222 in 2536 accidents during the previous year. The vehicular traffic in Goa has increased phenomenally from 8531 in 1961 to 3,06,417 vehicles in 1999, putting a considerable pressure on the narrow roads. During 25,603 vehicles were registered with the Directorate of Transport, out of which 18,154 were two wheelers.
An accident occurs every 2.57 kms on the National Highways and at every 0.26 kms on Goa's roads, according to a report submitted to the Chief Secretary by the Police department. Margao, Verna, Maina-Curtorim and Mapusa figure among the areas with the highest rate of accidents in Goa. Teen Building in Porvorim, St Cruz-Merces junction, Porvorim-Sangolda curve and Siridao junction are among the 23 other accident prone zones.
Sara Machado, wife of former speaker Froilano Machado, who was hit by a Maruti car while crossing the road at Verna on January 19, succumbed to the injuries at the GMC. She had stopped her Maruti Esteem car and was crossing the road when the mishap occurred. With a spate of road accidents, R S Sahaye, the Director General of Police, decided to form a committee of select officers from the traffic branch and district police, to study the pattern of road accidents in Goa. The panel was meant to study the affected areas, types or vehicles involved, road conditions and topography, lighting, etc, to arrive at the causative factors resulting in road accidents in Goa.
The Goa Rajya Pravasi Sanghattana (All Goa Commuters Association) accused the State Regional Transport Office and the Traffic Police for deliberately overlooking the sorry state of the public transport system and the woes of the bus commuters in Goa, at a meeting held at the Azad Bhavan in Porvorim.

PATRON FOR GOA AND DAMAN
Blessed Joseph Vaz, a 17th century Goan priest who shone as a Catholic missionary in India and Sri Lanka, was formally proclaimed as the patron saint of the archdiocese of Goa and Daman at a religious function at Se Cathedral in Old Goa on January 16. Several church dignitaries and more than 10,000 devotees, including some from Sri Lanka, filled the biggest church of Goa beyond capacity.

GOAN WORLD CUP
The unique soccer tournament--Goan World Cup-began on January 9 with eight teams participating in the march past. The hosts, Goa veterans, took on the United Arab Emirates Goans at Duler in Mapusa on the first day. In an action packed finals on January 22, the hosts, of course, succeeded in keeping the first ever Goan Soccer World Cup by defeating UAE Goans 4-3 in the very exciting finals, played at the Nehru Stadium at Fatorda today evening. The finals turned out to be a battle of maturity and experience of the Goan stalwarts, who were all past 40 years of age, versus youth and style of the UAE team.

MAPUSA'S MASSIVE CHRISTIAN RALLY
"That a Christian priest was killed in Mathura is not the problem of Christians alone. It is a problem of the entire nation and of all the countrymen, who believe in secularism," said Konkani writer and orator, Advocate Uday Bhembre, at a massive, peaceful rally comanised in Mapusa on July 2, to mark the National Day of Peace and Communal Harmony, in protest against atrocities let loose by fascist elements against Christian priests, missionaries and laymen all over the country, and against the destruction/desecration of their places of worship.

KUWAIT THANKSGIVING
A decade ago, mankind witnessed the biggest exodus and largest evacuation in the history of civil aviation the world has ever known. And that too, by a third world nation, struggling with its own finances but not with its conscience, for the long and sinister shadow of the Butcher of Baghdad fell chillingly not just on the expatriates but inevitably over their loved ones back home. Evacuating from the fatal combat crowned by Sadam's cynical stratagem of the 'human shield', holding the world to ransom and reducing Kuwait to a chamber of medieval rack and pinion horror, signified Nirvana with its sweet breath of freedom. On Saturday the 23rd of September, 2000, at 5 p m the TENTH ANNIVERSARY THANKSGIVING MASS was offered at the Holy Shrine of Bambolim (Fulamcho Khuris), by grateful Kuwait Goans, their families and well-wishers, to celebrate in prayerfulness the safe passage and evacuation of the Goan expatriates from the cauldron of rape, loot, torture and even death during the darkest days of the Gulf war of 1990. "We remain in profound gratitude, deep indebtedness and sincere appreciation for the overwhelming support we received from so many quarters, through so many helping hands, in so many different ways and by so many caring hearts OUR UNSUNG HEROES forever dear to us, you shall remain," said J. Einstein Cotta,
Ex-Chairman, Kuwait Goan Evacuee Society, who had taken the lead to comanise the thanksgiving service.

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
In distant Kanpur, on the night of October 19, three of Goa's most proficient young musicians were killed, when an empty bus crashed headlong into the Tata Sumo in which Remo's Microwave Pappadums band was travelling from Kanpur to the Lucknow airport. Keyboard player Selwyn Pereira, bass guitarist Victor Alvares, tabla player Dharmendra Hirve, along with Kanaiyalal, the driver of the Tata Sumo vehicle in which they were travelling from Kanpur to Lucknow, after playing at the IIT in Kanpur, died on the spot. Remo's personal assistant Sunil Redkar succumbed to his injuries later at the Regency Hospital. The sole survivor is percussionist Santan Carvalho from Vasco da Gama.

PLASTIC
When the massive drive to rid Goa off plastic waste was flagged off, every one heaved a sigh. But it wasn't so in Assagao. The first truck load of plastic waste came to Assagao to dump non-biodegradable waste. It's heartening that something is being finally done about plastic in Goa. But to dump it in Assagao is injustice to a pristine valley, the entrance to the tourist paradise-Anjuna. Assagao and Siolim/Marna, the villages which produce insignificant plastic waste of their own, are already suffering the ill-effects of the garbage being dumped everyday at the top of the Assagao/Marna Hill. If at all any dumping site was selected, it should have been in isolated spots away from human habitation. The villagers felt that each village and city should make place for its own plastic waste, from where it could be finally collected when a final solution to the elimination of plastic waste is found. The 80-day "Goa Plastic Free Campaign 2000", spearheaded by the Goa Environment Federation, ended on December 20, with tonnes of plastic waste awaiting disposal by recyclers.