the goan I network
VASCO
An Extra ordinary gramsabha called by the VP cortalim on Sunday to discuss and redress the grievances of the villager’s of Cortalim on the draft of Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) turned stormy after villagers accused the panchayat body of misleading the villagers by claiming that old houses would be affected due to the new plan.
Cortalim Sarpanch Angela Furtado, Dy sarpanch Raymond Desa, Secretary Sachin Naik and other Panch member were present for the gram sabha meeting.
The Panchayat body had written a letter to the CRZ authority to give a talk on the said plan but nobody from their side turned up for the meet, angering the villagers who accused the panchayat body of misleading the villagers.
Panchayat body had called Advocate Girish Sardessai to explain the plans and its impact on the villagers who are living on the coastal side of the river specially Maddant, Arvalle and Chovoth. After Sardessai’s talk, the villagers accused the panchayat of is misguiding the villager’s by giving them wrong information. Villagers claimed that the CZMPs was a danger to only the latest illegal encroachment along the coastal line and that there was no fear to houses which were built earlier. They said that their houses were mentioned in the draft plan.
The local residents accused the village panchayat of trying to create fear and panic among them by claiming that new CZMPs would affect their houses on the
coast. Villagers also slammed the panchayat body of not being able to get a resource person from the CRZ department who could give a clear cut details on the CZMPs.
Refuting the allegation, Dy Sarpanch Raymond Desa said that the Panchayat had only attempted to bring together the villagers at one location so that they could explain the CZMP drafts and gather their reactions to them.
The villagers refused to convey their comments on the draft until they are given clarity by a person from the CRZ department. The meeting was cut short after the gram sabha members got into a big argument, leading to a chaos.
The panchayat secretary later urged the villagers to register their suggestions and grievances with the South Goa collector’s office before July 7, if they do not wish to do so with the panchayat body. He also assured the villagers to write to the CRZ authority to send a resource person give a presentation on CZMPs to the villagers.
