the goan I network
MAPUSA
Embarking on an exercise which appears to have come quite late, Calangute panchayat has appointed a private agency to prepare a draft coastal zone management plan (CZMP) for the coastal village.
Calangute Sarpanch Shawn Martins on Tuesday said an agency M/s Turbosketch Shop has been appointed to conduct a survey of the coast along with the stakeholders so as to help in the preparation of the draft CZMP.
“All villagers/stakeholders are informed that the survey will start from Baga beach end on October 3 from 7 am onwards proceeding toward Gauravaddo. The villagers/stakeholders are requested to be present in assisting the agency while surveying the coastal area,” Martins said.
The sarpanch informed that he along with all the ward members of the coastal areas will be assisting the agency to draw up the plan.
He said that he has been directed to submit the plan within a couple of days and therefore the survey will
have to be completed in
quick time.
“We have been asked to submit the plan before October 5. We are starting early morning on October 3 and if it has to go on for two days we will do it,” he told The Goan.
Clearly, the draft plan will be done in a tearing hurry
and may not serve the actual purpose.
Activist and a resident of Candolim, Roshan Mathias, said hiring a professional agency to prepare the CZMP was fine but wondered if the agency knew the processes involved in formulating the plan.
“As far as I know, the agency is professional in only drawing the maps. Do they know the processes involved in drawing up a plan of this magnitude? Do they know what is to be added in the map? How to conduct the meetings? Whom to call? What is to be included in the map?” asked Mathias who has been in the forefront to draft the plan for the Candolim panchayat.
“If they just come, mark and go…That’s not a plan…This CZMP will remain in force until 2029. So we have to prepare a plan showing how we want our coastal area to be for the next 10 years,” he added.
The Calangute sarpanch informed that the private agency has been working with 11 panchayats in the State to draw up the CZMP.
“The agency is equipped with all the maps. They have the old maps of Calangute, CRZ maps and importantly they have devices which will map a particular area. They also have drones which can take aerial footage and mark and plot it exactly on the map,” Martins said.
He said the survey of all ecologically sensitive areas will be done and locked.
