MARGAO
The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) came under severe flak over a host of discrepancies, with stakeholders terming the plan as a farce and a fraud on the people of Goa, demanding that the government de-notify the port limits in the Major Ports Act and notify the plans approved by the villages.
Also, the authorities and speakers came face to face over the absence of arrangement for food, transport and restrictions on timings for speakers. The men-in-uniform had to intervene to make the participants take their seats.
Speakers including activists Avinash Tavares, Abhijit Prabhudesai, Ramiro Mascarenhas, Diana Tavares, Cruz Silva and other picked holes in the CZMP plan at the public hearing conducted at the SGDP parking lots and demanded scrapping of the plan.
They exposed the NCSCM scientists over a host of issues, charged them for preparing the plan by ignoring the ground realities. And, they accused the government for trying to bulldoze with the plan to benefit the Corporates. The speakers, including former Loutolim Sarpanch Xavier Fernandes insisted that the authorities clarify whether the CZMP is a public hearing or a consultation process.
A demand was made that the government revisit the Sagarmala plan in respect of Goa and to de-notify the nationalization of the Inland waterways. Questioning the motive behind making a mention of jetties in several villagers, stakeholders strongly suspected the government’s intentions, claiming the jetties are intended for coal transportation.
Stakeholders including Ramiro Mascarenhas and Cruz Silva questioned the silence of the plan on the fishing areas in the villages of Loutolim and Assolna and Ambleim.
Activist Avinash Tavares set the ball rolling when he made a mention of the proposed infrastructure development planning, saying the MPT should be barred from carrying out activities such as coal, jetties expansion.
Questioning the claims made by the NCSCM scientists that they had conducted inspection of the coastline, Tavares pooh-poohed the claim, pointing out that the team had covered the inspection in minutes. “You did not go to the beaches or visit the riverine villagers to gather information”, he said, while terming the entire exercise a sham.
Diana Tavares pointed out that the NCSCM failed to do proper homework, even as she questioned the absence of fishing villages in the plan.
When an official tried to assure that the P
port limits will not be seen in the CZMP, Diana shot back saying the people do not trust anyone considering the bitter past experiences when changes were effected via notifications. “Why did the Plan make a mention of port limits in as many as 139 villages and make a mention of 100 jetties in the plan. How come ferry ramps are being shown as jetties “, she said, while saying the public hearing is a big farce.
Activist Abhijit Prabhudesai charged the government for trying to bulldoze with the Coastal Zone Management plan to suit the interests of the corporates. “The Chennai-based agency did not come to the villages to explain the features of the plan”, he said, while demanding notification of the CZMPs approved by the villages.
He added: “You de-notify the port limits and come back to us again. You did not send people to explain the plan. This exercise is illegal because the people were never explained of the various aspects. Not a single fishing village has been shown on the plan. It is clear the plan is tailor made for the corporates”.
Questioning whey the Regional Plan was not superimposed on the plan, Abhijit demanded preparation of a fresh plan after doing the mapping. “The plan does not have anything to protect the local communities. De-notify the Port Act and the Port Limits. Show the salt plans on the plan”, he demanded, while saying the passage of the plan in the current form would result in the genocide of the people.
A villager from Borim, David Rodrigues said the government should immediately de-notify the nationalization of rivers and bring the rivers under the control of the people.
