MARGAO
Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral on Tuesday said he is ready to find a solution to the issues concerning the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), including the controversial move to show the river Sal as “Port Limits”, even promising to take up the matter with the Centre for a solution.
Speaking his mind on the controversy over the marking of River Sal as Port Limits, Cabral said he is ready to work out a solution if people have their problems with the CZMP, saying that the issue can be taken up with the Centre for redressal.
While Cabral toured Salcete coastal belt along with local MLA Churchill Alemao to understand the power problems facing the coastal belt and declining to field questions other than pertaining to Power, he took cognizance of the concerns raised by Cavelossim Sarpanch Dionisio Dias at the fag end of his visit to the constituency.
The Cavelossim sarpanch drew attention of the Minister to the marking of Port Limits on the river Sal as well as the beach side, expressing concern that such a move will only create hardships to the people to seek permissions from the Centre since Ports are governed by the Centre.
Cabral, however, begged to differ with the sarpanch. He said permissions, if any, can be issued by the local area and that people need not have to approach the Centre.
When The Goan asked him to shed light on the issues relating to the Port Limits of River Sal shown in the CZMP, the Environment Minister said the Ports were demarcated in the 1970’s and were marked as Port areas.
“In Goa, we have the Panaji Port and the MPT, which has its restrictions. The law of the country is such that the area of 50 meters on the banks of a river belongs to the government. Though the government does not own the land, one requires to obtain permission for any development. This is similar to the railway land, when one has to obtain permission from the Railways for development near the railway line,” he said.
Cabral, however, assured that all concerns expressed by the people and the panchayat can be sorted out, adding that he is even ready to take the matter to the Centre for redressal. “Last time round, they had shown the CRZ line inside the river line, but was later sorted out. Similarly, all issues concerning the CZMP will be sorted out,” he added.
The Cavelossim sarpanch said the panchayat would make a representation to the Environment Minister as per his request to make a comparative statement of the old and new CZMP to work out a solution.
