the goan I network
PANAJI
Following the growing public opposition to the public hearing of the proposed Nauxim marina which had earlier been scheduled for November 2, the North District Collector on Tuesday announced vide a notice that the hearing has been postponed.
“The environmental public hearing of the proposed marina of AHOY Marina scheduled on November 2 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium at Goa University Taleigao stands postponed. New dates of the hearing will be intimated at a later date,” the Collector said.
The announcement comes as temporary relief and a short term victory for the Nauxim locals and those of surrounding villages who were demanding for the hearing to be scrapped. Among the demands of the villagers were the postponement of the hearing until finalisation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan.
Those opposing the project while welcoming the short-term relief said they will not give up and fight till the entire project was scrapped.
Hundreds of villagers gathered at Nauxim after the Collector ordered to shift the meeting which was originally planned near Shyamaprasad Mukherjee stadium, Bambolim.
The Congress also demanded that the government denotify the notification which extended MPT’s jurisdiction over Goa’s waters.
Prof Ramrao Wagh, a lecturer at the Goa University, who is a strong opponent of the project, told The Goan that the opponents would keep pushing for the scrapping of the marina. “We want the government to do a proper study and realise that the project has to be scrapped,” Wagh said.
Olencio Simoes, another opponent and General Secretary of the Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott, meanwhile, said that while they are happy with the government decision to postpone the public hearing, they demand that the entire Environment Impact Assessment report be scrapped as it has violated the Terms of Reference as it was prepared without the CZMP.
“We demand that the MPT jurisdiction be de-notified from the Nauxim area and from 57km and handed over to Goa Government (Captain of Ports). “MPT has bought its five projects under Sagarmala and all these are anti-people and anti-environment,” Simoes said.
Sebastiao Rodrigues, convenor, Bharat Mukti Morcha, opined that the government has to urgently call a meeting of the IPB and revoke the in-principle approval granted to the marina in 2015.
