MARGAO
Citizens kept their date with the SGPDA parking lot on Friday morning at the venue of the Public hearing to make submission on the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), only to find labourers on the ground dismantling the massive pandal erected for the mega hearing.
No officials were found around, and only a posse of policemen was spotted in the adjoining pandal, as the situation sparked anger and outrage amongst the citizens and activists who came to depose at the public hearing on the CZMP.
One of the citizens, who descended on the PDA ground, came with his registration (number 501), while there was another who was given registration number 710. They demanded to know whether they would have got the opportunity to make submissions even past midnight if all the registered people had to wait at the venue.
They reminded that the people and citizens had left the venue on Thursday evening at 6 pm by announcing they will all return at 10 am on Friday to make their submissions.
Giving vent to her anger, activist Zarina Da Cunha said since her registration number was 501, she had left the venue on Thursday since no food and transport arrangements were put in place for the participants.
“We read in the media that the hearing was concluded around midnight, and when we came here to make our submission, we found no officials around and the workers dismantling the pandal,” she said, adding “by taking the submissions of less than 50 people, the authorities have negated the entire process”.
A senior citizen from Loutolim, Franky Monteiro, said he had left the venue along with others after informing the authorities that they have to go home on humanitarian grounds.
"I had waited till 6 pm on Thursday waiting for my turn, but I decided to go home. I am suffering from high blood pressure and I need to take medicines after dinner," he said and added, "Food was not available in the city because of curfew after sunset, I had gone home,” he pointed out.
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai termed the situation as a black spot on the Constitution and democracy, saying this is perhaps the first time a flawed procedure was adopted to conduct a hearing. “How did the authorities expect the people to stay put through the night without food and transport? Women had their families back home. Without public transport, they all left the venue to return to Canacona and Ponda,” he said and reminded that the NGT had maintained the hearing can continue over many days.
He added: “They first ignored our point of order and bulldozed with the hearing. We will not allow this to happen. We are weighing various options, including knocking the doors of the court.”
A woman from Shiroda, Renie Furtado, said she had come on Friday for the hearing since she was given registration number 710. “They had forced us to keep all our belongings outside. After Alvito D’Costa managed to get us a lunch break, the authorities spoke nothing about dinner. Hence we decided to head home,” she said.
Betalbatim Sarpanch Constancio Miranda was one of the many who turned up at the SGDPA ground for the hearing, only to find the pandal being dismantled.
“I was given a registration number 438. Since I felt my turn would not come till midnight, I went home to come again, but in vain,” he added.
Raju Cabral from Verna said the authorities will be sadly mistaken if they think they have fooled us and added “they are only fooling themselves as we are exploring various options, including going to the court”.
Venzy Viegas hit out at the authorities for concluding the public hearing around midnight when the two sides had a mutual understanding that the hearing would continue on Friday. “The government has no option now, get the plan back to the villages or the people will take it forward legally,” he warned.
With no one to answer their queries, they later all headed to the Collectorate to call on District Collector, Ruchika Katyal, IAS on the issue.
