Govt submits revised plan to exclude 21 villages from ESA

PANAJI  
The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Bhupender Yadav with a revised proposal seeking removal of 21 villages from the Western Ghat Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA).

The MoEF&CC through a communication last month had directed the State to submit a revised proposal with full rationale, supporting data and maps; details of any relaxation sought in the prohibited categories for specific areas and very specific purposes including the traditional use of materials by local communities for exclusion of villages.

Following the meeting, Sawant took on X to inform that he had discussion with the Union Minister on the villages proposed to be dropped from ESA notification.

Sources informed that the State has placed on record a revised proposal demanding that 87 villages be categorised as ESA since they meet the criteria set out by the Ministry.

The 21 villages proposed for dropping include 12 from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem and one from Canacona taluka.

“State has highlighted the dependence of the local community on the minor minerals available in those villages like that of stone and basalt quarries and declaration of ESA may impose ban on extraction of minor minerals, which will affect their livelihood and also make State dependent on others to meet the requirement of minor minerals,” sources said adding, ‘we have also brought on record various measures, Acts in place to protect biodiversity (flora, fauna, water, rivers, and land reforms) in the areas proposed to be excluded.

The Centre, in its draft notification, issued in August, had proposed 108 villages from Goa as ESA. The MoEF&CC appointed Expert Committee had visited the State from November 26-28 for ground verification and consultation with the State government. Following their visit, the Ministry wrote to the State seeking revised proposals.

The Ministry had sought details of various traditional conservation measures and practices, including sacred groves and biodiversity heritage sites, keystone species of Goa in the proposed ESA area along with unique flora and fauna and measures taken to protect them.

The Ministry had also sought to know about major rivers, their origins in Goa, their traverse (distance covered) and point of convergence with the sea and key features.