Capt Viriato Fernandes and Fr Bolmax Pereira seen along with Chicalim residents scrutinising the draft CZMP.
VASCO
Residents in Chicalim unanimously rejected the latest draft CZMP on Wednesday, after claiming it was full of errors and showed a huge coastal area under Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) port limits.
The villagers took strong objection to the vast coastal belt been demarcated as port area against the wishes of the local population.
In a press note, the residents criticised the environment ministry and the Coastal Zone Management Authority for preparing a haphazard draft CZMP without application of mind.
The villagers pointed out grave omissions in the draft plan such as failure to show window pane breeding sites which is a scheduled species protected under the Environment Protection Act 1986.
“The Chicalim bay is the lone surviving water body that is still providing sustainable water for the natural breeding of the window pane oysters. However, such a critical and sensitive area is not marked in the plan. The villagers smell a rat in this action by the CRZ authority.”
“Besides, a large number of existing houses have gone missing in the draft plan. In addition, archaeological sites like the megalithic underground caves, 17th century St Bartholomew Church ruins, St Jacinto Church and Chapel, the underground tunnel at St Jacinto Island are not demarcated on the draft plan.”
The residents also claimed that sandbar at Vareg Island has been omitted, as had been the case with the traditional water drainage system of the kazan, which is influenced by tidal waters of Zuari River.
“Bird nesting sites have also found no mention on this draft though the Chicalim BMC has meticulously documented over 35 bird species specifically resident to the village and the same find included in the village's People's Biodiversity Register,” they stated in the press release.
The villagers claimed that such errors cannot be condoned and such a wrong plan cannot be approved to the detriment of the ecology of the village.
The residents claimed that Chicaim was the first village in Goa to prepare its own CZMP in 2019, which had been submitted to GCZMA authorities for adoption in the panchayat area of Chicalim.
“However, the government has not acknowledged the efforts of villagers and has sent the same old draft which was already rejected in 2019,” they stated.
The villagers have demanded a fresh draft be placed before them showing all existing houses, all breeding sites, all nesting sites, all water bodies, all tidal affected areas, all archaeological sites, mudflat areas, the Vareg island sandbar, etc.
The villagers demanded that the latest base plan be taken instead of the outdated 1960 one used by the CRZ authority.
