There is a deep line drawn between the people and the government, at least in the villages of South Goa if not in the entire State. A detailed reading of the minutes of the “public hearing” held on March 7 in South Goa (it was held at North Goa as well at the Kala Academy at Panjim) shows that the District Authorities concluded that a Public Hearing was held. The last line of the minutes of the South Goa meeting stated “The Public Hearing concluded at 17.10 hrs”. This was, by no stretch of the imagination, a public hearing. The minutes of this meeting records the following: Olencio Simoes of the Goenchea Raponnkarancho Ekvott said that “the present public hearing is in violation of the norms of a public hearing”.

Source: The Herald March 19, 2021 19:41 UTC