Finally, the State government backtracked on the contentious Unity Mall project at Chimbel. The tourism department quietly and discreetly released a press statement on Wednesday evening informing that it is relocating the Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh projects out of Chimbel. The government claimed that it had taken the decision after considering local sentiment and environmental concerns.
The decision is a major victory for the locals who were engaged in a long-drawn agitation against the projects, but the question is, why did the government choose to withdraw if the joint survey was in favour of the project, as claimed? Why now? The objective of the joint inspection was to bring clarity on the buffer zone and the zone of influence and to conclude whether the projects would impact the ecology of the area. The tourism department, in its media release, has quoted the survey confirming that the site is outside the wetland area and the catchment area.
The sudden turnaround is baffling. If we recall, the government had taken a hardline stand by refusing to backtrack on the Unity Mall project, citing it as a central project. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had struck a defiant chord, stating that it is not possible to shift the project because the State has already spent Rs 25 crore on the preliminary work. Now, if the survey report has given a clean chit to the project, what was that compelling reason which prompted the government to change its mind? What prompted the government to consider public sentiment at this stage after remaining steadfast all along?
When the joint inspection and survey was initiated, it was meant to bring about clarity. The team included village representatives, experts, an advocate, a hydrologist, an architect, officials from CSIR-NIO, Wetland Authority, representatives from the Directorate of Survey and Land Records and Tourism Department. One believes that there is a fair level of transparency on the job at hand, given the depth of the panel. The question is, why has the government not made the survey report public before making a statement? If the report is not yet ready, how could such statements be made in the first place?
Interestingly, the decision to relocate comes on the eve of the BJP’s National President Nitin Nabin’s January 30-31 visit to Goa, and that invites suspicion. Was this move a calculated attempt to avoid political embarrassment? Governments often showcase a pro-people image during high-profile visits, and withdrawing from a contentious project could be seen as an effort in that direction.
On Thursday, local leaders shot back, saying that the draft report of the joint survey is still being prepared and has not been finalised, contrary to what was being stated by the government. They argued that the government’s announcement was premature while slamming the statement that the site is outside the lake’s influence zone. The villagers maintained that they will go ahead with their “Maha Andolan” on Friday, while adding that the struggle is towards a larger cause and in solidarity to other movements across the State.
While the main objective of the shifting of projects has been achieved, the agitation appears to be taking a political turn, with new goalposts being set.
