- Morjim
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Morjim — village — A Morjim road
Coordinates Country India State Goa District(s) Pernem taluka Population 10,000 Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) Website www.morjim.com/ Morjim is a village situated in north Goa in the Pernem district on the north bank of the Chapora River estuary. It is home to a variety of birds and to the Olive ridley sea turtle. It has become known as "Little Russia" due to the concentration of Russian expatriates living there.[1]
Contents
Russian expatriates
Congress Party MP Shantaram Naik has condemned the Russian presence, objecting specifically to rudeness, nudity, and crime including assaults and running businesses in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.[2] Indian security agencies have become concerned with Russian Mafia involvement in drug trade and land ownership in the formerly quiet beach village.[3] CNN-IBN specifically accused former town and urban planning minister Babush Monserrate of ties to the Russian mafia.[4] Politicians have also described the Russian presence as "bad for Goa".[5]
In response to such complaints, Vikram Varma, a Goa-based lawyer in the employ of Russia's Mumbai consulate, notes that out of tens of thousands of Russian visitors to and residents in the area, just fifteen were implicated in illegal property deals in 2007, and only two arrested for drugs possession in 2008, while the Russian visitors as a whole contribute roughly Rs. 4 billion to the local economy each year and form 40% of hotel occupancies.[1] Nearly 75% of chartered flights to Goa come from Russia.[3]
Beach
The Morjim beach is a nesting and hatching habitat of the Olive ridley sea turtle, an endangered species. They are afforded the highest degree of protection under Indian law through their inclusion in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Poaching eggs or in any manner disturbing the turtles or their habitat is an offence punishable under Indian law.
Protection of marine turtles and their habitat has been embraced by the local community through community-based conservation efforts. These efforts were commenced sometime in the years 1995-96 by a number of local villagers after discussions with Goa-based environmental protection groups. Before this time, the eggs were poached by fishermen, but later the fishermen became some of the fiercest protectors of marine turtles.
The Goa Forest Department supports the turtle conservation efforts and has set up a Turtle Conservation Interpretation Centre at the Forest Office in Pernem utilising funds allotted by the Central Government of India. The Forest Department also pays a monthly stipend to young local volunteers involved in marine turtle conservation efforts in Morjim. A few of these volunteers have even found jobs with the Forest Department in recognition of their efforts. Some youth of Morjim have also gone on to campaign internationally by doing stints on the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior.The Tourism Department of the Government of Goa has aided the conservation efforts by restricting temporary seasonal structures (e.g. shacks) to only a portion of the beach, and requiring them to operate only during daylight hours. Owners of the structures are also legally obliged not to leave beach furniture strewn about after daylight hours and not to do anything that would adversely affect marine turtle conservation.
Sadly in 2011 the turtles can hardly be seen anymore due to over-urbanization, light pollution, noise pollution. Morjim's wildlife is doomed as per a recent study of international researchers, the village is expected to be the next Calangute .
References
- ^ a b Barretto, Lita (2010-03-08), "Russians face backlash in India's Goa", Agence France-Presse, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j5QIbFrGQ-jtg-uUMxlJcbpto0ug, retrieved 2010-03-22
- ^ "Naked Russians corrupt minds: Goa Congress MP", Times of India, 2010-02-28, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Naked-Russians-corrupt-minds-Goa-Congress-MP/articleshow/5628614.cms, retrieved 2010-03-22
- ^ a b Datta, Saikat (2007-01-29), "Molotov On Mandovi: The Russian mafia has barged into Goa, running its arms and drug trade freely", Outlook India, http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?233732, retrieved 2010-07-21
- ^ "Goa leaders' pals: Russian mafia", IBN Live, 2007-06-01, http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/41610/goa-leaders-pals-russian-mafia.html, retrieved 2010-07-21
- ^ "Russian tourists bad for Goa: BJP leader", IBN Live, 2010-02-21, http://ibnlive.in.com/news/russian-tourists-bad-for-goa-bjp-leader/110482-3.html?from=tn, retrieved 2010-07-21
External links
- Morjim.com
- 22/02/2010 Morjim meet witnesses uproar over cabbie’s murder
- 22/02/2010 Morjim villagers demand ban on Russians
- 20/02/2010 Goa village wary of Russians after fatal attack on local
- 19/02/2010 Russian mafia phenomenon in Goa may hit tourism
- 12/01/2010 Drug mafia will erase Goa
- 06/10/2009 Mafia hunting for owner of Goa resort
- 26/09/2009 Goa's illegal resort stands as Russian owners go missing
25/01/2009 It’s Moscow! No, it’s Morjim! - Drug Den Goa Video
- 31/03/2008 Goa's Russian Revolution
- 21/01/2011 Morjim the next Calangute
Coordinates: 15°37′46″N 73°44′09″E / 15.62944°N 73.73583°E
Categories:- Villages in Goa
- Cities and towns in North Goa district
- India–Russia relations
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