MAPUSA
Life in the otherwise bustling coastal village of Anjuna came to a grinding halt as shops and establishments were shut down as part of a day-long bandh to voice concern over the sealing of establishments illegally set up in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
The day-long bandh was called off after the locals decided to meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to discuss the issue.
The High Court of Bombay at Goa had directed sealing of 175 establishments illegally set up and accordingly, the panchayat and Block Development Office (BDO) had undertaken the process to seal those establishments.
This move, however, upset the locals and they called for a village bandh on February 19. Residents responded spontaneously to the bandh and kept their shops and commercial establishments shut in order to highlight the government’s attention to the matter. Hotels were closed and tourists had to search for alternate places for breakfast and lunch.
A protest meeting was convened by locals at Anjuna and it was attended Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo, RG Chief Manoj Parab, Congress leader Dharmesh Saglani, Aldona MLA Adv Carlos Ferreira, who pledged their support to the locals in their agitation.
The agitating residents demanded that the government introduce amendments in the laws and regulations to provide relief to residents of Anjuna, and warned that if there is no concrete solution on the issue before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, they would work against the BJP.
A resident, Yogesh Goveker, claimed the CRZ and TCP Act came into existence much after locals had set up structures for tourism business in Anjuna.
“We had taken necessary permissions from the panchayat and authorities. This is a conspiracy by the government to support the corporate lobby and finish local businesses,” said Govekar.
Advocate Jatin Naik said the people of Anjuna are united and the bandh had showcased their unity.
A number of residents spoke on the occasion and criticised the government for failing to work out ways to resolve the issue for the benefit of locals and provide them relief to their commercial establishments.
A large number of police force was present at the meeting to take care of the law-and-order situation.
