Save Mollem,Save Goa’s biodiversity by going in for clean and green energy alternatives: Fr Nigel Alphonso

By Prakash Kamat

                                      (Fr. Nigel Alphonso, SJ)

Panaji,October 30- Fr. Nigel Alphonso,SJ of the Goa Jesuit Province gives a call to save Goa’s biodiversity,insisting that clean and green energy alternatives is vthe way forward for tiny coastal State with fragile ecology.

Admitting that the need for electricity is ever-growing and the need will only build as time goes by,he says that Goa being a small State with no power generation plants of any kind, meets all its energy needs through power purchased from its neighbouring States at a very high cost per unit. 

The recent claim of the State government is that they are in the process of setting up a 400kv power plant at Molem, for which it is clearing up the land and working its way towards ruthlessly destroying the rich biodiversity of the place and tampering with the sensitive ecosystem of the beautiful Western Ghats. The only justification offered for this atrocious act being for the purpose of meeting the growing power needs of the State.  

He laments that in a State such as Goa, the government has failed to come up with a reasonable and viable solar policy that would encourage the public to invest in the installation of solar power generation plants, this despite the fact that Goa doesn’t even meet 1% of its power needs through renewable sources of energy. Despite numerable attempts to encourage the public to install and invest in grid-tie solar power generation systems what rcemains a dark fact is the solar policy that has been drafted and implemented without much thought, includes clauses and conditions that defy logic. It feels as though those consumers who wish to go green and have installed such a system are being punished for their noble initiative. 

He argues that a solar grid-tie system which in the long run is profitable and cost effective to the consumer helps meet one’s power needs for the next 25 years. This system also exports the surplus power generated to the grid thus benefitting the State Electricity department.

With the current billing system implemented by the Electricity department, however, a consumer is restricted to install a solar grid-tie system only up to the capacity of the sanctioned load mentioned on the electricity bill of the consumer.

 Thus someone who is willing to invest a large sum towards green energy is deterred by this restriction, as the cost of installing a small solar power generation system is relatively much more than a larger one and the return on investment is also slower. 

Secondly, if Goa is facing a deficit in terms of energy needs, why not encourage the setting up of solar farms on rooftops or empty plots with gross metering system in place where the power generated is directly fed into the grid for use in the area,asks Fr. Nigel.

Thirdly, a clause in the solar policy followed and implemented by the State Electricity department states that the consumer will not be compensated for generating power more than one’s average consumption of the 12 months before the solar installation. It is obvious that one’s power needs will only increase in the future and hence it is ridiculous, illogical, and punishing to the consumers who have taken the trouble to invest their hard earned  money in their respective solar projects. 

"The least the government could do to support this initiative is to compensate them for the green power that they supply at one third the cost that electricity is currently purchased from other States,"says Fr. Nigel.

The crores of rupees allotted for setting up this so-called power station at Mollem could well be used towards providing assistance and subsidy to many people who are willing to invest in a grid tied solar power plant. This way forward will easily take care of our growing demand for power without destroying our rich biodiversity, as this need will be taken care of by the generation of green and clean energy with zero carbon emissions and zero deforestation.

"We are stewards, not owners of the environment, and we must make every effort to promote clean and green renewable energy alternatives, thereby ensuring a better future for the next generation,"says Fr. Alphonso invoking inter-generational equity concept for natural resources.(eom)

87% sex workers from Bhiwandi keen to choose alternative jobs:Thane-based NGO

Prakash Kamat 

Panaji, october 30- In the trying times ,when the pandemic is taking a toll on the sex workers’ conditions, 87% of the sex workers in the red-light area (RLA) of Hanuman Tekdi in Bhiwandi,Maharashtra are eager to take alternative path to sustain a living, shows a survey conducted by Thane-based Shree Sai Seva Sansthan(SSSS), an NGO that primarily focuses on welfare of sex workers.

The NGO is now training sex workers in various programs such as tailoring and diya-making to help the women with employable skills and have a dignified source of income.

With the COVID-19 pandemic,mainstream commercial sexual activity came to a halt due to the fear of transmission of the virus. However, seven months into the crisis, sex workers fear that they will be further pushed into a cycle of debt and poverty.

 

The findings reveal that over 60% of the sex workers in Hanuman Tekdi have taken loans from informal sources like friends in the neighbourhood, shopkeepers, local money lenders and their own brothel managers. Most of the survey respondents feel they will die of starvation and harassment and have reluctantly started work in the middle of the pandemic.

 

Bhiwandi is one of Asia’s largest warehouse hubs. Most of the major multinational companies and e-commerce giants have their warehouses set in Bhiwandi. As the town is growing, the red-light area of Hanuman Tekdi is mushrooming and women from other cities and countries are lured here for jobs and then forced into commercial sexual activity.

 

RLA houses victims of trafficking

 

What looms large is the dark reality of choice; majority of them are not into sex work by choice. 78% of them were either forced into prostitution by someone they know like a relative, friend or even their husbands or trapped due to poor financial circumstances.

 

Of the total 500+ sex workers in Hanuman Tekdi, 56% are foreign nationals, the study highlights. Majority of women are from Bangladesh, accounting to 46% of the total community and the rest 10% are from Nepal. These women were either trafficked across the borders or they migrated for work and eventually got trapped in the flesh trade.

 

Another striking factor is that only 4% of the sex workers are from Maharashtra. The others are predominantly from the southern part of the country, especially from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamilnadu, and then from is Kolkata, which is a large source state. This sheds light on the rampant sexual exploitation of migrants who cross the borders domestically and internationally for a livelihood, the report states.

 

Owing to the lack of official identity documents, the women are excluded from the government emergency aids. Moreover, even the recent NHRC advisory stating that the governments should impose moratoriums on loans taken by sex workers from financial institutions do not apply to a majority of the community as they all have loaned from informal sectors.

 

“It is pertinent to note that for a commercial sex worker it is difficult to obtain a credit loan from formal sector institutions as it involves official paperwork and background clearance. How can you expect trafficked victims to have all paperwork in place? The National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) panel should look at the ground reality,” says Ms. Swati Singh, founder of SSSS which is also working on helping the sex workers get government ID proofs like Aadhaar cards to ensure they get a regular health checkup.

 

Recommendations from the study:

1.The policy makers, along with the support of various NGOs, should formulate an Alternative Employment Plan for the local sex workers to provide relief during Covid-19 pandemic and to help them opt out of commercial sex work.

 

2.The District and the State administration should improve state run comprehensive services for CSWs, allocate budget and provide basic skill training programs under the various livelihood and skill development missions for upskilling and providing them various job opportunities.

 

3.Women who want to start their own venture should be provided with access to easy credit and collateral-free microfinance opportunities.

 

4.For the victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, a special victim relief fund should be established to help them pay-off their debts and move out of a life of exploitation and pain.

 

Notes:

NHRC advisory https://nhrc.nic.in/sites/default/files/Advisory%20on%20Informal%20Workers_0.pdf

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87% sex workers from Bhiwandi keen to choose alternative jobs:Shri Sai Seva Sanstha

Prakash Kamat