MARGAO
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira’s promise to take up the long-pending work of construction of a training wall at the River Sal mouth at Betul has offered a ray of hope once again.
The Environment Minister, however, has a task cut out to find out the delay by the Fisheries Department to obtain an Environment Clearance (EC) before executing the work.
Take note, the ambitious project, proposed over a decade ago to put in place a break water facility to ensure smooth navigation channel at the river mouth was grounded after the Cavelossim Villagers Forum knocked the doors of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the year 2017.
The NGT in November 2021 had given its nod for the training wall project but on a condition that the government first obtains the Environment Clearance (EC) before executing the project. The NGT had also issued directions to the government to comply with the condition on the restoration of the land at Cavelossim.
Friday saw a delegation from Cavelossim led by Sarpanch Dixon Vaz taking up the project with the Environment Minister at the Friday Darbar and the Minister reciprocating with an assurance to revive the retaining wall project.
“I have assured the delegation led by Dixon that the government is not averse in reviving the training wall project. I have asked for certain documents. I am told that the matter was in the NGT. Once the reports are ready we will proceed further,” Sequeira told the media.
Dixon said the delegation has impressed upon the Environment Minister to take up the training wall project at the mouth of River Sal. “Apart from hampering the fishing vessels from venturing out in the sea from the Cutbona fishing jetty, the hostile navigational channel has hit the water sports operations and other boats from venturing out. The mouth is heavily silted. The situation can even cause boats to run aground at the mouth,” Dixon said.
Even as the Environment Minister has invited the delegation from Cavelossim to Panaji for further discussions on the long-pending project, questions are being raised over the delay by the project proponent, Fisheries Department in obtaining the EC for the project.
For, the 2021 NGT order was very clear that the government can go ahead with the project but after obtaining the EC.
It’s now over four years since the NGT had disposed of the petition filed by the Cavelossim Villagers Forum, but nothing has been heard on the EC that is required to be obtained by the government to execute the training wall project.
Incidentally, the Fisheries Department had started work on the project without EC before the Forum approached the Tribunal. The NGT has insisted on the EC before executing the project after the Forum submitted that the expansion of the project falls under Schedule to the EIA Notification dated 14.09.2006 which requires EIA from SEIAA.
