VASCO
Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) has demanded a ministerial berth for Calangute MLA Michael Lobo.
Addressing the media at Baina GRE Office, Olencio Simoes, General Secretary, said that Michael Lobo was the only MLA who has consistently and sincerely been raising fishermen’s issues in the assembly and also solving their problems.
“This government and CM Manohar Parrikar had promised the fishermen of protecting and upholding the legacy of late Matanhy Saldanha but it is an irony that none of the MLAs, except for Lobo, seem interested in raising and resolving their long-pending issues,” Olencio hit out.
“We demand that this government which had promised to solve our issues should immediately work in that direction. Since there are two vacant posts in the ministry we want that an MLA like Lobo be given a position so that he can take up our long pending issues, failing which the fishermen of Goa who had supported this government will work against it in the upcoming election,” warned Simoes.
Simoes welcomed the National Green Tribunal principal bench, New Delhi, order in which it set aside the demolition order dated 07-04-2017 on the basis that the GCZMA has not considered that Baina is a fishing village as in the provisions of CRZ 2011 Notification and further demanded that the fishermen whose houses were demolished be rehabilitated immediately.
Simoes further stated that this is the second time the GCZMA demolition order is set aside, previously by the High Court of Bombay on 27/9/2016 and now by the National Green Tribunal Principal bench, New Delhi.
Simoes said that the fishermen of Baina are being harassed and are disgusted in the manner in which this government has handled the matter without considering that the CRZ notification 2011 which was enforced for the sole purpose of ensuring the security and livelihood of the fishing communities and protecting the structures of the fishing communities.
“Sadly, ever since the CRZ notification which was enforced in1991 in the interest of fishermen has not been followed. It has been 27 years now that the houses belonging to the fishing community in Goa have not been regularized till date neither does this government feels it necessary to sense the urgency in resolving the long pending issues of the fishermen of Goa. It has been very clear now that the hasty decision and demolition order was made by the GCZMA only to throw out the fishermen living close to the coast so that they can facilitate the ambitious plans of Sagarmala in which Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) plans to take over the entire bay of Baina and Desterro for coal expansion,” Simoes said.
