Surprisingly, Public Works Department Minister Deepak Pauskar is claiming credit for a panel recommendation to build a portion of the troubled Western bypass on stilts. The reality is that successive governments from the tenures of Laxmikant Parsekar, Manohar Parrikar and now Pramod Sawant as chief minsters have completely ignored the danger posed to low-lying fields and surrounding habitats on account of inundation of flood plains during monsoons. The question is, how does it suddenly become an achievement for the PWD minister?
The government’s reluctance to go for stilts may have come because of the high costs of construction spanning across the 2.75 km stretch of the bypass. But, while a cost analysis has been done, departments have failed to weigh in the ecological damage that was looming with a large-scale filling of low-lying land. This could have been catastrophic for an area that is already witnessing flooding.
If we may recall, the NGT while issuing a direction to constitute a team to study the issue had contended that the construction of the highway should be consistent with the principle of sustainable development and necessary measures should be put in place to protect wetlands, water bodies and other environmental resources. It is heartening that the green tribunal has taken note of the disturbance of the environment, while the government showed scant respect to it, to an extent that there was even a proposal to fill up a 200 metre stretch of River Sal area.
The recent decision of the 10-member committee appointed by the NGT to recommend stilts can only be attributed to the petitioners who moved the green tribunal as a last-ditch effort. It is a victory for the people who have been fighting relentlessly against all odds. It would be completely unfair for any minister, right from the chief minister, to take credit for this development. Pauskar is only making a mockery of himself by taking credit for an achievement that his government has been opposing all along.
The common citizens have time and again been the true guardians of our environment, and the judiciary and green tribunal have been their last resort of hope. We have seen people fighting resolutely against three linear projects, coal capacity expansion, the controversial draft coastal plan and many other issues that have time and again threatened to bulldoze through Goa’s ecology and destroy its unique identity.
The consistent refusal from the PWD and the National Highways is well documented. This has been a classic case where the government shirked away from its prime responsibility of being protectors of the environment and made compromises. It failed to hear the voices of people, and it failed to take cognizance of the several gram sabha meetings and the countless protests that pleaded for a bypass on stilts.
Ministers and representatives should refrain from taking false ownership of achievements that don't belong to them. In an electoral season, these sorts of fake accomplishments can only backfire.
