the goan I network
MARGAO
With the village panchayats in receipt of the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) unchanged, the Navelim gram sabha on Sunday gave approval for the village plan and to forward the same to the department of environment.
Agitated gram sabha members also demanded that the government recover the crores of rupees paid to the Chennai-based agency for preparing the plan when the basic flaws in the plan remain
unchanged.
At the extra-ordinary gram sabha called by the panchayat, which was chaired by sarpanch Wilma D’Silva, members were taken aback when the plan returned to the panchayat was opened for discussions. They pointed that the government has returned the same old plan without showing any of the changes suggested by the gram sabha body.
Sidharth Karapurkar informed that members had come to attend the gram sabha to discuss the CZMP which ware prepared by the people of Navelim with help of students of Chowgule college.
“The gram sabha members were inquisitive to see the corrected plans but when the plan was opened for discussion, we were surprised that all the government had done was to join the earlier four plans and make one single plan. They did nothing else. The water bodes and fishing areas are not marked and the discrepancies showing CRZ line deep inside villages still exist on the plan,” he said.
Shocked and surprised over the manner in which the government has gone about formulating the CZMP, the members adopted a resolution to recover the payment of Rs two crore made to the Chennai-based agency on grounds that the money belonged to the tax payers.
Members then discussed the people’s plan wherein they marked the water bodies and also showed the fishing areas, besides marking salt pans and mangroves which have emerged in agricultural fields. Members took another resolution to pass this plan with some changes like village boundary, showing other water bodies in the eastern side of Navelim.
The gram sabha also discussed the letter received from the Prime Minister on ODF, with members saying there was not much clarity on
the subject.
Ambelim locals irked over unchanged CZMP, seek to explore legal recourse
the goan I network
MARGAO
The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) generated much heat at the Ambelim gram sabha on Sunday after agitated members pointed out that plan approved by the panchayat had found no mention in the plan sent back by the government.
The meeting authorized the Sarpanch to take necessary action, including taking legal recourse in respect of the CZMP.
The meeting chaired by Sarpanch Denica Corriea discussed on the plan received from the government, only to find no major changes as suggested by the panchayat body. Gram sabha member Cruz Silva went to the extent of pointing out that an island Saopal finds no mention on the plan sent by the government to the village panchayat.
Cruz said the panchayat will send the plan already prepared by the panchayat body along with the villagers and the students. He said the gram sabha authorized the village Sarpanch to take decisions deemed fit to take legal recourse on the CZMP.
