PANAJI
The State government and its agencies, including State-owned corporations have done it again and launched into an unprecedented level of demolition and construction work in and around the capital city of Panaji just as the lockdown began on Thursday night.
Residents of Dona Paula were shocked and confronted the contractor who has demolished the jetty which was proposed to be redeveloped through the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Ltd, but is yet to get statutory approvals from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) or other authorities.
Residents also complained that no public consultation process has been held and they were also given no notice of demolition of the jetty where dozens of families earn their livelihoods selling wares to tourists.
Recently elected councillor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) from the area, Nelson Cabral, said he confronted the contractor who informed him that he has been issued instructions to start work.
“The contractor has feigned ignorance about the licences and approvals. The jetty re-development project has not got approvals under the CRZ notification,” Cabral told The Goan.
Efforts to get the official version from the GTDC proved futile as officials either feigned ignorance or declined to offer any explanations.
Activist-politician of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Cecille Rodrigues too expressed shock over the demolition of the jetty cutting off the area and jeopardising livelihoods of several locals.
Rodrigues rued that all norms and rules under the law have been ignored.
Closer to the city at its western end along the scenic Miramar beach area, bull-dozers and heavy earth moving machines were menacingly displacing chunks of sand dunes to reportedly make way for a ‘concrete road’.
Writer Vivek Menezes, who resides in the locality called it “criminal” in a social media post.
“Absolutely disgusted by whichever State agency is using #GoaLockdown as cover for the illegal bulldozing of a concrete path through the last intact strand of casuarina trees on Miramar beach, between the residency and the ocean” Menezes said in his post.
He questioned whether there were clearances or any public consultation held as Coastal regulation laws require.
