The Indian state of Goa, known for its sun, sand and beaches, is currently a protest site. Thousands of locals have held multiple protests in the past few weeks against the government for ramming through three infrastructure projects — a power transmission line, a road expansion project and a railway track — that would connect the Goa port to the rest of the country.
The bone of contention is that these projects cut through Goa’s protected areas — the Mollem National Park and Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary — and that the tourism hotspot is already well connected. This protected area falls in Western Ghats — a UNESCO world biodiversity hotspot, and home to sections of rainforests.
This project will explore the citizen-driven environment movement and examine the communities affected by these infrastructure projects. At the crux is this question: Who pays the cost of "development"?
