Goa under the hammer

1) The selling of Goa
The Chief Secretary using the term Russian mafia has raised official eyebrows because you simply can't say that without even a shred of evidence especially of a nation that has unflinchingly stood by India always. Foreigners, buying property should not be the issue here after all there is nothing Indians have not bought or benefited from in the rest of the world; the problem is really desi. Like Narayan Rane's explansion plans in crowded Calangute. Like India's biggest arms dealer the Vienna based Choudhary (his only rival is Nanda) buying up of land in Arambol and Calangute.

Like the fact Delhites have now started selling the properties they bought earlier at huge profits a fact confirmed to me by a potential Bangalore buyer who last month stayed in Panjim for over two weeks and by a senior architect in the business and by the fact that if you respond to many of the local advertisements the seller speaks Hindi. Like the fact Hindi is the new spoken language in the corridors of the Bombay High Court because Goans hardly own properties any longer. Like the Rs150 cr offer made to Lounginhos for its Colva hotel and like the Rs48 cr reportedly paid for another hotel in the area. And definitely like the hotel La Calypso in Baga built on sand dunes breaking every Coastal Regulation Zone regulation.

Foreigners, particularly Western Europeans come to participate and not to change Goa which is why they landscape their properties, hire Goan architects, landscapers, employ locals where they can, are the biggest buyers of antique furniture which has helped spawn an entire industry
in Mapusa and Colva and spend their money locally. They money never leaves Goa. Can you say that of a north Indian or Delhite?

2) No estate, get real
No wonder we are incensed. It's a year since DLF bought 18,120 sq metres at Rs50,000 per sq mt at Patto Plaza. They paid EDC Rs90 cr. Where is the promised mall? Have you seen any construction activity at the plot? No and if a senior officer who is in the know is to be believed you are not likely to see anything coming up there. DLF just used its prime property to get money to finance its real estate ventures in Delhi (it makes more money selling apartments there) and that was the purpose behind its investment here. It works like this: realtors like DLF buy prime land say for instance in Goa, as a result of which banks have no hesitation in lending them big money.

3) Selling of Sesa
Whether it was $1.37b or $981m is not the point. Who ever sells Sesa Goa continues to make billions while Goans get a few jobs only. In 1995 I met Emilio Riva, the Italian billionaire who through Italy's privatization process bought Ilva Laminati Piani SpA (ILP), Italy, the holding firm of Finsider International Co. Ltd., UK that till then was Sesa Goa's main shareholder. ILP was a State-owned conglomerate belonging to Gruppo IRI or Istitituto Per La Ricostruzioni
Industriale. It was evident during the interview despite his vehement denials that Riva was not interesting in retaining Sesa. Soon he sold Sesa to Mitsui that sold it to Vedenta Resources plc. The selling of Sesa could go on. Mutual funds and banks too love the cash rich firm. Sesa's lineage has change since 1954, when it kicked off as Scambi Economi Sa, Goa. The following year it was renamed Sesa Goa Ltd after it was jointly taken over by Gewerkeschaft Exploration, West Germany and Ferromin SpA, Italy, a subsidiary of Finsider SpA, belonging to the IRI group that acquired the German firm's stake in Sesa.

4) Room with a view
Bharat and Swati Bhise – their 8-bedroom bungalow is coming up on the hillside with a view to die for on the edge of the Arabian Sea at Dona Paula. The construction began five months ago and the Bihari contractor hired – he was involved in constructing Jackie Shroff's bungalow at Nerul – says the bungalow will be finished in two months.
For the Save Goa tribe, this is yet another example of how those with the big bucks –the bungalow is rumoured to cost Rs50 cr – don't bother about CRZ violations. And for those who have invested in beachside property, it is a reason to crib because their room with a view does
not have a view anymore because someone with more moolah appropriated it.

5) They luv gullible Goa too
For the past three months Rajiv Mehta went about building his 4-storied bangalow at Cacra village on the edge of a precipice despite media exposure. You have to see the NRI's mansion-by-the-sea if you want to believe this. There are reportedly eight suites per level, less than a stone's throw from the sea even if you are semi-crippled.
Neighbours wonder where his guests will park their SUVs because Kingfisher villa in Candolim (the next best comparison built on the brink of the sea) is a virtual drive-in. Not Rajiv's. His sea cliff simply has no parking space. Point is matters got to a head when pushed to the wall the Chief Secretary JP Singh sent in the posse led by the Addl. Collector Swapnil and Michael D'Souza of the CRZ. Would you believe it, even the troopers were shocked. At least they made a
pretense of it. Measured, Rajiv's bungalow is 41 mt from the high tide line. If you have the inclination and four-wheels, take the kids for a drive there. As they say, seeing is believing.

6) The Cacra cliffhanger
For once ES erred. Rajiv and Rashmi Mehta who were ordered by additional Collector North Swapnil M. Naik to stop building, were asked to quote "it is clear from the plan itself that at the eastern side of the plot the CRZ line demarcation is 32.35 mt." I said 41 mt. "In fact, this CRZ line demarcation on the plan has not been done by Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and as such it appears that the structure under construction is illegal as it violates the No Development Zone of 100 mt from the river coast." GCZMS Simon D'Souza has also agreed to demarcate the NDZ. Is it Goa or gullible Goans, the Mehta's luv.

7) They luv Goa
For the moment though chew on the onslaught of Goa's current wannabes. A close relative of a Delhi newspaper magnate is building a home in Nerul on 10 acres. Actress turned director Pooja Bhat, actor Ranvir Sheorey and fashion designer Tarun Tahliani bought houses in Nerul.
Bina Ramani, arrested in Goa last September after a Delhi court ordered a NBW for allegedly forging documents for the restaurant that became notorious after model Jessica Lall was murdered there bought and sold land in Nerul to as many as five celebs. Bina Ramani sold her
Saipem property to the Baga hotel built on sand dunes, would you believe it because villagers there gave her bad vibes triggered by her arrest and used that money to buy land in Siolim. Siolim villagers my mind says could be less gullible than Saipem's gossipmongers. Malani
Ramani, Bangalore fashion designer Prasad Bidappa bought houses on the Calangue/Candolim border. So did Good Earth, the alternative lifestyle store chain in Candolim. Ritu Kumar, the Delhi designer bought a house there too as did former Miss India Neha Dupia. The Bangalore based Naresh Mehrotra and part owner Café Coffee Day bought a house in Goa.
There's also Jackie Shroff who is into building posh villas for his celeb friends.

8) Rooms with no view
Six months ago, a hill that was savagely cut at Odxel to make town houses was the focus of a protest march. Today it is a site where brisk construction is in progress and town houses at different levels, not to mention a sprawling hotel, are at different stages of completion. The promoters, Dynamix, should know that a family with diamond interests in Antwerp was interested in the town houses even if they were priced at Rs1.5 cr. But when it was pointed out that the town houses would cancel out the picturesque view of the town house on the level below, the family backed out. Further down the road the builder Landscape is constructing three (priced at Rs1cr) and two bedroom apartments (priced at Rs72 lakh). The location may be illegal
but extraordinary with a breathtaking view of the Zuari river and the sea.

9) Swept away like dirt
Big hoteliers, all Mumbaites and Delhites bulldozing sand dunes and building down to the sea is a reality from Agonda to Baga. What is saddening despite the inevitably of Goa being sold lock, stock and barrel that too for black money is the way the real aam aadmi like Justiano Pereira, a discernibly poor and genuine farmer of Adaowaddo, Majorda are swept aside like dirt. Humble as they come, Justiano's tormentor is the rich and powerful Sea Bird Resorts whose director
Nirav Parekh, is based in Nariman Point, Mumbai. Parekh bought 23,754 sq mt from Rui Fernandes Leao to build his huge hotel.

Justiano and others are now fighting to protect and retain a common well (their only water source) built with RDA funds at a cost of Rs23117 by the Majorda-Utorda-Calata Village Panchayat that now falls in Parekh's property. Worse a traditional pathway and well has almost
entirely been taken over by Parekh blocking the route villagers used for decades.

On 03.10.06 villagers wrote to the Sarpanch placing their objections to passing the construction plans, if planned by blocking off the traditional pathway. The Sarpanch issued Sea Bird a show-cause notice dated 05/10/06. But Parekh like all Mumbai and Delhi hoteliers bent on taking over Goa's protected (hypothetically) coast began building in March 2007 completing blocking off the traditional path and well. Amid complaints lodged with the Colva police and the Village Panchayat of Majorda-Calata-Utorda by them no action was taken to stop Parekh.

The power of money
Parekh effectively cordoned off and covered an ancient nullah that was a channel for rainwater flowing through the fields into the sea. The nullah, Parekh proposed to construct in concrete as an open drain in his construction plans passed by the SGPDA on 25.01.2007. Parekh's other proposal to install narrow drainpipes to replace the natural nullah and a huge wall being built around the property will flood the area during the monsoon. Parekh's punishing plans for a once beautiful hamlet also includes locating his garbage dump behind his hotel and next to the homes of Justiano and the villagers.

The TCPs NOC to Sea Bird clearly states, "the proposed development shall not block any existing traditional path passing through the property." It says again, "The pathway of 2 mt in width as shown on the site plan shall be maintained to the satisfaction of the Village Panchayat." Sea Bird as per its approved plan is building a total of four buildings and has already said it intends to rise above the permitted 3.5 mt height. With a total planned construction of 8,416.47
sq mt Sea Bird will make a sea change in idyllic Adaowaddo.

Aam aadmi concern?
Incredibly from the licenses Justiano obtained under RTI the plans were approved and signed by the town planner, senior town planner, chief town planner, secretary (TCP) the minister (TCP) and by Pratapsing Rane in the blurry of a few days in January 2007. One of them, it is difficult to say who (in the plans these remarks are closest to the initials of the chief town planner) wrote this: "In addition, the applicant has undertaken to enhance approach roads,
parking space and to enhance greenery in the areas." None of them have agreed so far to hear out Justiano's petitions that forced him to go to court.

Justiano says the town planner informed him there were no restrictions on the distance to be maintained between commercial and residential users. "However, minimum setbacks are required to be maintained as per prevailing norms." No dimensions were mentioned in the reply that Justiano wanted. In another letter in fact the senior town planner informed him that Sea Bird's licenses was issued on the basis of the old RP 2001.