Calangute- a Goan sore - Page 4 - Goa Discussion Forum, Holiday Forums

Calangute- a Goan sore

fizzy2

2007-12-06 10:49:32

Well said PhilinGoa. Please, please, please don't think that I am against progress and change in Goa - it will happen regardless of what I or others think and I know that things never stay the same. I have no problem with them building new shops, hotels etc., Hotels particularly provide employment for your/my friends. What I do have a problem with is the massive scale of development that is currently happening. It seems like every available space is being filled. As Phil (and I) said there is NO proper planning/forward planning and as Gramps said, the infrastructure cannot support this level of development. They need to restrict the amount of building taking place, research the impact each new building will have on people/environment/infrastructure before approving it. Its about using common sense really

The tourist industry/tourists will be blamed for spoiling Goa not the greedy/crooked developers, local government/panch.

Another worry is "how long will tourism sustain the employment needs of the local populace"? Tourist shops etc are mostly run by Kashmiri's etc. There are many examples of jobs being carried out by "out of state" Indians. Why don't the locals want to do these jobs? When tourism bottoms out, what will our friends do then? Gramps, you seem to have a good "take" on these things - maybe you can help with this one?

fizzy2

2007-12-06 11:13:00

Winterpansy - we love Goa, warts and all. Its others that want to change it.
What I and others on here have a problem with is the rate of change and how they go about it. With a little bit of thought, forward planning, logic/common sense Goa could retain its character, cultural identity and diversity without it becoming a clone of many other destinations (that we choose not to visit). Its because we LOVE Goa passionately that we are so opinionated about what is happening there. We don't want it to go "down the pan". We want our friends and their families to improve their lives and have the same opportunities in life that are available to us and this can (currently) only happen through the employment opportunities that tourism provides. (though I think Goa needs to diversify) If things continue as they are Goa will not only be spoilt for us but for them also - we will all be losers.

Its great that we are debating these issues, its just a pity that they are not being debated where it matters most - in the Goan parliament! :roll:

goldenflipflop

2007-12-06 12:08:41

I too am not against progress, it has to be good surely, for both locals and tourists. I think it's great that Goa now has good clean places to eat and nice coffee shops etc. The thing that annoys me is that the government dole out licences for these new places to operate but do nothing themselves to improve the infrastructure of the place. Business men invest a lot now in Goa to make their establishments pleasing to the eye.......it's just a shame that we have to hike over mounds of red earth and garbage to get into these nice places. Look at the current cabling fiasco. Last year all the roads in the BCC area were re-laid and for a while it was great......but now the cabling contractors have dug up the roads and left piles of dirt and holes everywhere......surely thats down to the government? Shouldn't they be monitoring whats going on and how the jobs are being carried out?
GFF xx

gramps

2007-12-06 13:04:56

Calangute a Goan sore

I popped into Johnneys shack at the back of the Goan Heritage to say hello to one of our old friends, Laxmi, the massage girl today. She was just back from court , she was arrested yesterday and appeared in court this morning and was fined. The crime? doing massage on the sunbeds, they are now saying that all massages must be done inside the shacks!! This was in spite of her paying the police her usual bribe. Also no sellers to be seen anywhere. When I asker her why the shack owners are'nt fined for having 50 sunbeds instead of the regulation 10, she just said
"they are Goans, we come from Karnataka so dont count" This is just another example of the Goan mindset towards tourism, we are simply a reason for bribes, corruption, and so on bring possible. The fact tourists have no wsh to retreat into the back of a shack for a massage among the kitchen bussle is of no interest to them, it's just another way to exploit those at the bottom of the pile and if that disadvatages the tourist they could'nt care less Alan

candy64

2007-12-06 17:55:19

I agree with most of the comments on here - its because we've been going for a long time and remember it at its best. I've seen a big difference, particularly over the last 2/3 years and said last season that it would be my last - i'm off again on Saturday for 3 weeks then March for 3 weeks - then I'm sure that will be it, for a year at least! It does have a certain pull, I enjoy seeing the same people time after time but this year a few long stayers i know are not going for the same reasons. I'm glad i saw it at its best, Vietnam and Cambodia appeal to me now, maybe Kerala and Sri Lanka.It's also attracting a different crowd, but i've got my memories and photos, thankfully!

poultonkid

2007-12-06 17:57:43

My bigest worry is infastructure I,E water and sewage there is going to come a time when sewage meets up with the water table if it hasent done already,then there will be big time illness,it happend to a resort in spain years ago nobody could go to that resort for a long time,i dont know how the goan goverment could handle somthing like that.

lassigirl

2007-12-18 07:22:59

The local residents are very worried about the state of sanitation and water supply, in Calangute, as this article states , and they have every right to be up in arms.

http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=12185

Rokerender

2007-12-18 08:12:03

Do you think they have been reading these comments Lassigirl.I just hope officialdom will open their eyes and do something.

roma

2007-12-18 08:26:20

Wow! That's a pretty serious list! Some action is obviously required - I just hope they get past merely talking about it!

Big Neil

2007-12-18 09:31:54

You wonder how bad it's going to get before they do something about this. It's not as if this has happened overnight. Knowing the pace they approach this sort of thing it could reach a situation where they leave it too late. Let's hope this is acted upon soon!

'new four-lane road from Baga to Sinquerim' ... is that what is really needed?

StevieH

2007-12-18 10:21:27

Calangute is expanding with very little thought and planning and a few years down the line i think Calangute, Baga and Candolim will all be merged into one, personally I like Calangute but my OH Jane calls it Skankygute :yikes

Steve

roxey

2007-12-19 00:13:00

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

How odd they make mention of music from the shacks, I would have thought it was the least of their problems.

Rokerender

2008-01-03 00:40:09

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

I've spent the last couple of days going through some old photos of Goa. Most are from 2001 onwards, what a difference Calangute is relatively clean and tidy to the way it was in november 2007. I was quite shocked, these were digital images and I have not dug out the older photographs going back a couple of more years.

I then decided to check my old camcorder footage , the earliest I have on this new camcorder is November 2003, what an unbelievable change, traffic, street traders, quiet beaches. I will try and sort a few clips out and post them on the new video part of the site. I think I have some earlier stuff using my old camcorder .

I did'nt realise just how much things have changed over the last few years. Anyone else had a look back ?? Come on Gramps you go back a few years!!!

I think I am a bit fed up as its the first time we have not been in February for many years, little bit second home sick.

Feelthevibe

2008-01-03 10:23:16

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

I have some pics of Sinquerim beach from 1999 (pre princess) and a couple of Baga, if I can get my scanner going I will post them up too.

gramps

2008-01-03 14:45:00

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

Unfortunatley I never bothered to take any pictures of Calangute in the late 80s. The place is unrecognisable now. No more the little guy sitting outside the market selling Paan , no more the Kashmiri traders sitting all down the roadside on the other side from the petrol pumps selling their stuff, no more all the palm trees lining the street, no roundabouts of course, only half a dozen Tibetan girls selling the silver jewellry from the side of the main road ( we're still friends with one of them.) Only a handfull of hotels and eating places, very few Indian tourists. We stayed in the old Alphaville (now the Silla Resort), on our first visit, for the welcome meeting you were given a small map, you walked up to the market, turned right and set off along the Candolim Road after about 400yrds you were at the meeting, held in the front room of an old Potugese style house, about where Dominos is now. There was one Chinese resturant, along the Baga Rd, "The Tast Of China" it too was part of a house, there was Sousa Lobos, The Lobster Pot , Capricorn, and I think The Tibetan Kitchen, and not much more, changed days. Alan

Gemma33

2008-01-03 14:49:53

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

Well I for one am glad there are much more restaurants to choose from now. Ive been in Sousa Lobo's and IMO its simply revolting. From what ive read on here, its a restaurant living on its past reputation.
Ive also been in Capricorn, that was ok, but just ok IMO.
Everything changes in life, be it in the UK or abroad, and not always for the best but we just need to accept it or try new places. Thats the sad facts of life i'm afraid.

Big Neil

2008-01-03 15:06:29

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

"We just need to accept it"

I would disagree there...

Gemma33

2008-01-03 15:13:36

Re: Calangute- a Goan sore

And what can you do to change things Neil? Nothing! As I said not everyone likes some of the changes but we need to accept it or move onto another place. Probably not the answer you want from me, but thats how things are i'm afraid.

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