People turned up in large numbers at both the venues of the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan public hearings, but only a few were allowed inside the venues turning it into a completely private affair. Hundreds of concerned citizens pooled together at Kala Academy, Panaji and Ravindra Bhavan, Margao since morning with the hope of expressing themselves on the discrepancies in the plan. The restrictions imposed on the hearings only meant that they were denied this fundamental right.
The voice of the people was loud and clear on the need to hold panchayat-level consultations. Given the failure of these hearings, the State government will have to go back to the drawing board and do a rethink the way forward. The unity of citizens not to go ahead with their queries in such a restricted environment was commendable.
The authorities may have put in place a protocol, but there was a clear lack of groundwork with many questions going unanswered. The environment minister, has, to date, failed to answer why suggestions proposed to the draft plan in 2019 are not reflecting in the current plan that is put up for discussion? How is the government going ahead with the hearing when it has no answer to the critical question of "Ports Limit". If one may recall, last month Nilesh Cabral has cited ignorance on the subject and had vowed to go back to the Centre and seek clarity. Why was this not clarified ahead of the hearing, and when is Cabral going to explain the definition of Ports Limit?
Authorities have tried to rush ahead with this exercise despite a similar failure in 2019. Moreover, the pandemic scenario has been exploited to keep the hearings to the bare minimum. The very fact that people rushed in against all odds shows that not even the ravaging virus can hold them back when it comes to defending their motherland. The swell of crowds shouting slogans and detesting the move under a grim scenario is a poignant testimony.
Among all the resistance, chaos and confusion, the underlying objective of these hearings appear misplaced. Public hearings have to reflect the voices and concerns of people, and a paltry count of a few individuals allowed inside, even if they had to speak, by no means can be a fair representation. The very purpose of this hearing would be defeated.
The question that surfaces is, why is the State government showing this kind of hurry, and why is it not ready to listen to the voices of all the panchayats and gram sabhas, a demand made right through? Why is such a sensitive document which would define the landscape of coastal Goa treated clandestinely?
Attempts to bulldoze against the wishes of the people gives rise to suspicion and would trigger further resistance. It will widen the cracks of distrust. The government must hear the voices of people, and take the plan to the grass-root bodies so that there is wider discourse and greater transparency. People of Goa have to be stakeholders in this plan, they cannot be kept out.
