Goemkarponn raises its head once again as hundreds of motorcycle-bound citizens took to the streets on Dussehra day to protest against the proposed marina at Nauxim. The two-hour rally which wended its way through the affected areas was a show of solidarity against the project. The Nauxim marina which envisages 239 berths will cause large-scale destruction to the bay during dredging besides displacing the traditional fishing community from the area.
The argument that marina will change fortunes for Goa tourism has to be debated. For the sake of tourism, Goa cannot destroy its marine habitat across the one-lakh square metre beach belt. The templates of other states or countries cannot be copy-pasted in Goa because the State’s landscape is vastly different.
Why then do we want a marina only at Nauxim and nowhere else? Why is a bay with virtually no road network and other allied infrastructure chosen for developing it into a marina? Why here when the government could have zeroed down on other beach belts which are already developed?
One can picture a marina with 239 berths. One can image the accompanying businesses and facilities that will crop up, bringing in a massive change in the area. It’s the rustic charm of Nauxim versus large-scale development on the lines of Sinquerim-Baga-Calangute beach belt.
Nauxim at Cacra is a tiny beach belt where locals, most of them tribals, eke out a living on fishing. That has been their primary occupation for decades. No matter how tempting the lure of jobs is, there is no guarantee on how locals will be accommodated. Employment to locals remains a vague theory at this point because similar assurances while clearing IPB projects have failed miserably. And the government has been open enough to admit it.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has on Tuesday raised concern that Goans have given up on traditional activities like agriculture and fishing while appealing to the people to take up these activities again and assuring support. What happens to the fishing community that is going to be displaced by the marina?
The protest against the marina highlights the fact that government once again has failed to follow a consultative process and engage stakeholders before arriving at a decision. There is bound to be opposition to development when it comes at the cost of environment. And hence, there needs to be complete transparency and clarity in plans. A project of this magnitude certainly needs people’s involvement and anything that threatens Goa’s traditional communities cannot be bulldozed through.
The public hearing on the Nauxim marina is slated for November 2. It is the day when people must rise in unison. It is the day when people must seek answers. People’s power has prevailed in the past and this has been proved beyond any doubt in the recent coastal plan protests.
