PANAJI
The public hearing on the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) turned chaotic on Sunday with hundreds of aspiring participants being left out of the venue at Kala Academy even as the North Goa Collector went ahead with the proceedings inside.
The crowd grew restive as they began to realise they will not gain entry into the venue and raised slogans demanding that hearings be held at the village panchayat level to ensure due participation from the people.
The authorities meanwhile cited Covid-19 norms to allow only a few people inside the venues both at Kala Academy in Panaji and Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.
Nevertheless, hundreds of people gathered outside both the venues were getting restive as both the collectors went ahead with the proceedings with limited participants, paying no heed to the large number of people left outside.
Greens and other coastal community leaders have already pointed out several gross errors in the draft CZMPs.
In several villages, resolutions have been passed at gram sabha meetings demanding that the government should arrange to hold public hearings at the panchayat level for a more meaningful exercise and wider public participation.
Several MLAs were present at the venues and several of them condemned the public hearings held without allowing all to attend.
This is the second attempt by the State government to hold the public hearings on the CZMPs after the first time over a year ago massive protests forced it to call it off in the face of massive errors in the plans.
