The all-important public hearings in North and South Goa for the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) which was initially expected to run non-stop across 4-5 days ended abruptly on day one itself. After a fiery start that saw hundreds of people making their way to venues under adverse situations, the hearings lost momentum in the latter part of the day with people left clueless in a sea of chaos and frustration. Curtains came down at midnight even as scores of people were denied an opportunity to make their presentations and put forth their points.
The window that is now opened up to allow written submissions up to July 15 is a mere consolation, and cannot make up for the failures in facilitating a physical hearing as mandated by law.
When officials shut shop, only 43 could make their submissions out of the 732 people who registered for the Margao hearing -- 36 in physical form and 7 others in virtual mode, and in Panaji out of the 163 registered, only 61 could make their submissions. These figures reflect an underlying failure of the public hearings, and it is unfortunate that an exercise that was primarily aimed at hearing out public voices miserably failed in its objective.
The haphazardly organized hearings which set protocol beyond easy reach this time, have once again proved to be an exercise in futility. Physical hearing of a mere 100-odd citizen cannot be a fair reflection of the entire coastal belt of Goa. The hearings, which virtually went unheard, is a grave injustice to the thousands of people who have been denied a fair chance and a rare opportunity because the path to the podium was fraught with so many hurdles posing bigger challenges physically and mentally.
While Goa does a post-mortem on the hearings, the State needs to salute the people who braved all odds and made it to venues, those who spent hours in the hope that they will get an opportunity to speak, and endured fatigue and frustration. Those who have gone without a morsel of food because the hunger to fight for coastal Goa was supreme, and to the many who overcame the fear of Covid and Delta Plus, drenched themselves in the persistent drizzle and hung on even burning the midnight oil till the end. It was for your sacrifices that the flame of hope of a better Goa is still burning. It was for your presence and submissions that people across Goa could comprehend what the State is bracing for. And it is for these foot soldiers that a wrong will have to be documented as a wrong.
Authorities must factor in the reality that this is a serious exercise that affects lives, livelihoods and the landscape of the coast. Not holding proper public consultations and pushing forward a plan without adequate ground-truthing will drastically affect the State. We need a practical plan which is closer to reality, not a piece of fiction scripted on the basis of unverified data.
Goa is heading into an election season and probably this was a golden opportunity of reconciliation lost for a government that has consistently faced the wrath of people in the past. The way the hearings were held will only widen the chasm of distrust and embolden the people to take up cudgels again in their fight for their motherland.
