VASCO
The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) and Goencho Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) have appealed to all 36 fishing association across the State to attend the public hearing on Sunday in large numbers and to insist on the postponement of the public hearing till the errors are rectified.
In a press release, NFF General Secretary Olencio Simoes said that the notice dated March 3 curtailed the voices of the marginalised Goan fishing community, for which the Coastal Regulation Zone was mooted.
"Instead of looking into the discrepancies in the draft CZMP plan 2021, the collector reduces the participants to mere 150 which is in violation of public consultation guidelines laid down in the EIA Notification 2006 as the fishing community is a plausible stakeholder, who are directly affected by the wrongdoing of the CZMP.”
“None of the CZMPs across 8 coastal states has shown port limits in water area and land area but in Goa the entire sea, rivers, water bodies and even land up to 100 mtrs of HTL is shown as port limits, which is shocking as even the previous draft CZMP 2019 had not shown port limits and aquaculture in the plan," said Simoes.
"The fishing association had demanded that the public hearing be conducted at multiple locations, at taluka levels, on different dates, so that maximum representatives from fishing communities could attend and submit their objections so that justice is met to each and every individual. On contrary, the speakers are been asked to speak for only 5 minutes," said Simoes.
GRE President Agnelo Rodrigues slammed the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority and demanded the resignation of Member Secretary Dasharath Redkar for failing to discharge his duty.
"We are shocked to note that instead of marking fishing zones and fish breeding areas up to 12 nautical miles as per the CRZ Notification 2011, the GCZMA has demarcated non-related items like port limits and aquaculture, which is in contravention of the CRZ notification.”
“It looks like the GCZMA has a hidden agenda and is in connivance with the Mormugao Port Trust’s Sagarmala plan to destroy the fishing community, as they have been issuing demolition notices to the fishing community rather protecting them," said Rodrigues.
