the goan I network
MAPUSA
The State government is considering to withhold salaries of secretaries and sarpanchas of five panchayats in Bardez which failed to submit the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) within the time frame.
According to the Department of Environment, the panchayats of Bastora, Colvale, Sirsaim, Ucassaim and Verem have failed to submit the CZMP within the stipulated time.
The Director of Environment has written to the Director of Panchayat stating that under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986, all local bodies were directed to prepare their own CZMP to be submitted to the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, so as to access the suggestions/objections and prepare draft CZMP for the State of Goa.
The letter further said that the government had set a deadline of December 12, 2019, which was then extended to December 31, 2019.
“The five panchayats in Bardez haven’t given their locally prepared CZMP
and hence the salaries of the VP Secretary/Sarpanch concerned may be withheld for non-compliance,”
said Jhonson Fernandes, Director of Environment, in his letter.
He further asked the Director of Panchayats to submit a compliance report on action taken to the Principal Secretary (Environment) at Porvorim.
It may be recalled that in a bid to prepare village-based consultative plans, the Environment Department had deputed officials to conduct meetings at various panchayats in the State in November and December last year.
After rejecting the draft CZMP prepared by NCSCM, most panchayats had prepared their own consultative-based plans involving locals and with the help of NGOs.
Incidentally, the National Green Tribunal on the request of the Goa government had granted extension till January 31 to complete its draft CZMP, but with a condition that if it failed to meet the deadline, it would result in deduction of salaries of the government officers.
2 sarpanchas hit out at Environ Dept
MAPUSA: Rejecting criticisms for having failed to submit the Coastal Zone Management Plan within the time frame, the sarpanchas of Bastora and Colvale have, instead, squarely blamed the Environment Department for having failed to respond to their suggestions and objections.
Bastora Sarpanch Savio Martins said his panchayat had pointed to loopholes in the plan submitted by the Chennai-based agency and had also sent various suggestions and objections to the department.
“When we requested for an expert to explain the nitty gritties of forming the plan, the department failed to do so. How can they blame us for something they failed to comply with?” asked Martins, who appeared visibly upset with the letter.
He said the panchayat finally with the help of locals engaged a private expert and devised a plan for the village.
Colvale Sarpanch Nityanand Kandolkar also said his panchayat had written several letters to the Environment Department seeking clarification but received no response.
“We wrote to the department to send an expert to locate the fishing communities in order to prepare the plan, but they failed to respond to our letters,” Kandolkar said.
