Illegal Gaddas and Homes: Ease of Migration (Part 1)

This First Appeared in "The Goan Everyday"

Europe is facing a crisis, and will have to figure out a solution sooner than later. The same solutions are required in Goa and no one appears to be thinking about it.

There is an argument that goans migrate all over the world and hence are in no position to complain. We do not hear on stories of Goans deported because the are living illegally anywhere. Nor do they create any nuisance by building shanties on other people's property or building illegal colonies, a la moti dongor with the help of local powers that be. Indians and now even foreigners have a right to settle in Goa under the existing laws and they should be welcomed if they make that choice. They must however follow the rules and respect those who live here.

The issue gets complicated because some people see migrants only as votes because they are a vulnerable class. They are in a new place and therefore easy to exploit. In addition, if they can be made permanently vulnerable so much the better. This is easily done by encouraging them to squat on land in different parts of a constituency and then holding the damocel's sword of demolition over them.

Goa draws many people because it promises a better life than that in most parts of India. The inflow comes from two avenues. The unregulated flow of people looking for work in the labour category, labour is required for mining, fishing, hotel and industrial activity. Two, the ability to easily set up a Gadda at any street corner without any fear of official action. Gaddas include pan, fruit, bhel etc

With goans showing aversion to jobs in the workmen/labour category due to the perception that wage is low, jobless youth from poorer parts of India have turned up to meet the demand. At the higher end, say officer level, the problem is not so bad as this category usually comes on a transfer so their housing etc is taken care of by the Company. Being from the middle or upper middle they are not potential vote bank material and hence not wooed by the powers that be.

These labourers usually live in areas where they work so Verna/ Sancoale for Verna Industrial Estate, or Zuari Nagar for Sancole industrial estate. In these areas, the locals have made it a business to rent out accommodation. Siting at home one can earn a tidy sum. Small (10 feet x 10 feet) rooms are rented out to as many as possible. These rooms usually do not have water, electricity or sanitation. The public at large therefore bears the social cost while it is the individual who rents that rakes in the moolah.

Given the easy money, these accommodations proliferate. They are usually illegal from planning point of view as they have no permissions or are built on encroached land. These structures which are rented out should be inspected by the authorities to ascertain their legality. If the structure is legal, then it should be checked to decide the number of people who can be accommodated in the room based on the infrastructure available, eg no of toilets, size of septic tank etc. The authorities should also ensure that every resident has a police clearance as required by the law.

When Goa was under Governor’s rule some years back the local people complained that the industrial estate was responsible for the problems that were plaguing the village viz: since there was no sanitation, the migrants were dirtying the fields and open spaces, there were instances of the local women running off and subsequently being duped and being abandoned in other parts of India. The industry body, felt that the locals were opening their doors to the outside labour on their own accord, as such industry was not responsible for the consequences. The local panchayat authorities had to act to prevent the encroachment, and illegal renting.

Move around anywhere in Goa and you will see gaddas mushrooming all over the place. The latest phenomena is every morning a vehicle drops a young man with a basket of fruit on the highway, the scene is repeated a kilometer ahead. The number per day depends on how many arrived. Go to the Margao market in the evening, 20-30 young men are selling fruit from baskets along the roads all over. Outside shops or restaurants, you will find a youth behind a small box, selling cigarettes and the banned gutka openly.

The local labour gets out priced because these workers stay in one room to reduce their costs, and since the labour rates in their own home town iare much lower they accept low wages. On the other hand the roadside sellers, pay no taxes, electricity bills etc and therefore out price the shopkeepers and effect their business.

In the interest of the law abiding locals, it would be imperative that the authorities stepped in and curbed this menace of illegal roadside business and rental services. It has to be done now or the problem will be too big to handle, the assumption here is that the problem is not so big yet.