The questions marks over the environmental clearances and issues with the third ‘under-construction’ bridge over the river Mandovi have finally been answered and the confusion laid to rest. What has emerged from the petitions heard by the National Green Tribunal will certainly set a benchmark for which upcoming projects must be measured and created a template for future projects. The Zuari bridge being foremost in the mind.
The biggest tussle in recent times was that of the Goa Foundation and the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), as they had their own points of contention as to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the bridge. Now that point has been cleared up. Goa Foundation’s application was not barred by limitation, for one, since the ‘cause of action’ happened much later. Since the bridge was part of the national highway, and given the smaller scale of the project, it doesn’t meet the requirements for the category of projects that require an EIA.
The government may have scored a small victory there but the role of the Goa State Coastal Management Authority (GCZMA) in granted permissions without due diligence is certainly questionable. A few months before the construction of the bridge began, the GCZMA conducted a site inspection based on a general arrangement drawing sourced from the GSIDC. The GCZMA did ask for a few clarifications on some points but granted an NOC and work began on the bridge in June 2014.
This is where the authorities erred. The GCZMA ignored due procedure and failed to conduct a proper evaluation of the situation. The area where the bridge is to be built has mangroves. Construction there will also impact tidal currents and sedimentation. While the pillars in the river will be located in the same line as the current pillars for the two bridges, and they will stand on piles in the river, hence not disrupting currents and tidal flow, there are other factors that need to be looked at. The NGT did rap the GCZMA on the knuckles for this ‘oversight’ and fined them Rs five lakh. Now the GCZMA will have to go back to the drawing board and assess the situation, this time taking river bank morphology, bathymetry and sedimentation impacts in consideration. They will also need to conduct an overall environmental impact assessment, based on coastal regulation zone provisions.
In any project this size, there is bound to be environmental damage. Authorities like the GCZMA are present to ensure that development is done with minimal impact on the environment; they need to introduce and enforce safeguards to this effect. When these arms of the government turn a blind eye to these projects, it leaves the people with a bad taste in the mouth.
But, what this has now done, to good effect, is to set down a basic set of rules that construction bodies and authorities need to follow when taking on large projects. The new Zuari bridge is a project of this scale and will certainly need a template, when it comes to the environmental impact assessment. There is also a need for construction companies to do their own due diligence internally. Hopefully, all this will change with the GCZMA now having to follow procedure. When benchmarks are laid down and everyone follows them, there will not even need to be petitions like these placed before the NGT. Perhaps some good will come out this in the end.
