MARGAO
Salcete’s coastal belt has witnessed a flurry of activity following directions from the Salcete Block Development Officer (BDO) asking village panchayats to submit their comments and suggestions on the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) by January 20.
Some of the panchayats, however, have expressed concern over the paucity of time available to convene gram sabhas and seek public feedback before forwarding their responses to the government. Adding to the confusion, some panchayats did not open the BDO’s email communication on the day it was sent, leaving them with even less time to complete the mandatory consultation process.
Sarpanchas have also questioned the urgency of the deadline, particularly in light of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s statement during the recently concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly that the CZMP would be finalised over the course of a year.
The Salcete BDO memorandum had directed all the Village Panchayat Secretaries of Salcete Block to download the draft CZMP 2019 and place it in public domain for their comments/suggestions and convey the same on or before 20/01/2026.
Given the situation, some of the panchayats are on the job to rope in resource persons to explain the salient features of the draft CZMP to the gram sabha members.
Inquiries by The Goan revealed that the Benaulim village panchayat has issued a public notice informing gram sabha members that it has received the draft CZMP 2019 maps. Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes has urged residents to examine the maps and submit their comments and suggestions on or before January 20.
Fernandes said the panchayat has convened an extraordinary gram sabha on January 20 at 10 am at the village panchayat hall. “The draft CZMP maps, printed in 1:25,000 and 1:4,000 scales, have been kept at the panchayat hall for public scrutiny,” he said, while appealing to gram sabha members to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion.
Echoing similar concerns, Carmona Sarpanch Sandra Fernandes said the time granted to village panchayats to seek public input was far too short. “In the normal course, the draft CZMP is required to be placed before the gram sabha for a decision. However, with January 20 set as the deadline by the BDO, there is very little time to follow the process properly,” she said.
To address the situation, the Carmona Panchayat has convened a meeting of its Village Development Committee (VDC). “Notices have been issued to VDC members to attend the meeting and discuss the plan,” Fernandes added.
Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz said the draft CZMP would be taken up for discussion at the gram sabha already scheduled for Sunday. “We had convened the gram sabha earlier. After receiving the email informing us that suggestions and objections must be submitted by January 20, we decided to include the draft CZMP in the agenda,” Vaz said.
However, the situation appears uneven across Salcete. Sarpanchas of some riverine village panchayats seemed unaware of both the draft CZMP and the January 20 deadline. When contacted by The Goan, one sarpanch admitted having no knowledge of the plan or of any communication from the Salcete BDO regarding the submission of comments and objections.
The episode has raised questions about communication gaps and whether adequate time and opportunity are being provided to village panchayats and gram sabhas to meaningfully participate in the CZMP consultation process.
