Article - 92 Week 17 | THE JNPT PAP STORY

THE JNPT PAP STORY

Project affected people draw attention. And they do bask in it to extract their pound of flesh. The government takes away their land for a pittance and throws the land to the wolves. That is, large part of a large story. The social activists stand up for the people backed by funds from NGOs and other interested parties. In some hot cases, the politicians wedge in, to cook their own broth. 

The other essential slice of the large story is the need of the government to take the land from the occupying people at a reasonable cost and give it in the hands of the saints. The saints who would cook solutions for the ballooning misery for a  deprived & growing billion. The wolves and the saints should not be straightjacketed into the same rule book. The story of land grabbing by big boys in the fictitious names of EPZ or Lavassa, is not the same as JNPT or an airport. But then who would discern the saints from the wolves, given that the government is mostly led by the wolves.

JNPT is the gateway to prosperity for millions. And it should not be taken hostage by a few thousands, for their pound of flesh in an unreasonable manner. The wisdom of the public and the press must prevail here for the much larger public good. Imagine a crippled and sick Nhava Sheva, like our Kolkata port! Cargo would be rotting in expensive godowns waiting to be exported. The factories would be unable to ship in their raw materials and losing export orders due to costly delays. Even agricultural products would be perishing under delay and huge cost pressures. This will make our farmers, and factories suffer losses and closures. Many workers & farmers would be pushed into poverty and deprivation! Can we afford all this by leaving the reins of Nhava Sheva in the hands of a few myopic bandicoots wearing the cloaks of PAP ? If that is not enough, public pressure has forced the government to legislate strict laws. These strict laws are fine for the wolves but would be a death knell for the saints, who hold the keys the doors to prosperity.