The first two hearings on the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan at Pernem and Canacona clearly reflects people’s angst and a complete lack of trust in the system. A large gathering which turned out outside the Sant Sohirobanath Aambiye hall at Pernem and at the municipal hall in Canacona refused to budge and settle down for discussions inside the premises. They held placards that ‘screamed’ rejection of the plan. That’s not all. Even Sunday’s gram sabhas joined the chorus.
There were repeated calls from the Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral and Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte in Pernem, but to no avail. In fact, Cabral went on to assure the gathering that he is even ready to cancel the plan and draft a new one after the process of public consultation. All that Cabral and his team got were ‘boos’ from the crowd. If you can’t beat them, join them. And Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes did just that by joining the unrelenting crowd.
People, politicos and organizations cutting across party-lines were unanimous in their decision to boycott the hearings. That the plan was not in the interest of Goem, Goenkar, Goemkarponn was the common refrain from the public. The protests and defiance only goes on to explain that when it comes to land issues, Goans are not going to trust the government and their elected representatives any more. In Pernem, Sopte failed to convince his own people, likewise in Canacona.
The government is the custodian of Goa’s land. In fact, glaring discrepancies such as these should have been noticed and objected to by Cabral and his team when the draft plan was handed over by the National Centre for Coastal Management, Chennai. These are not minor oversights to be ignored and later corrected. The draft plan in its present form threatens to change the entire topography of the coastal state. How can the government even present it before its people?
There cannot be a public hearing on a completely flawed plan which is prepared remotely, a plan which is not at all in sync with the ground contours. Cabral and his team, by going ahead with this exercise are only showing defiance against the pleas of Goemkars. Once bitten, twice shy, so goes the common adage. The government should have been on guard after it faced a similar outcry over the regional plan some years back. So what is Cabral waiting for? Are these protests not enough to portray public sentiment? Or are you believing that every Goan that protested there is part of an NGO or an activist?
Government will have to follow a consultative approach. By pushing ahead with this exercise, the trust deficit between the people and the government is only going to widen. The draft plan has to be rejected in total, irrespective of the delay. The making of the plan has to be with complete involvement of the people of Goa, including the local bodies and all communities. Let there be consultations and ground-truthing first. And most importantly, the people of Goa want transparency.
