MARGAO
The contentious issue of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) reverberated across Salcete on Sunday, with the forum of Sarpanchas and deputy Sarpanchas demanding that the government hold the public hearings on the CZMPs by involving the people and the stakeholders.
The CZMPs also came in for strong opposition at the gram sabha meetings of the Panchayats of Carmona, Betalbatim and Macazana.
The meeting of the Forum of Sarpanchas from South Goa, which was held at Camurlim on Sunday, was attended by a number of Sarpanchas and deputy Sarpanchas, besides the activist Abhijit Prabhudesai and his team.
After due deliberations and discussions, the meeting resolved that the Sarpanchas of the village Panchayats would file a common petition to the government not only to object the glaring discrepancies and anomalies in the CZMPs, but also demanded a proper public hearing on the plans by involving the people and the stakeholders.
Camurlim Sarpanch Basil Fernandes informed that the Panchayats are not objecting to the CZMPs per se, saying the Panchayats want the CZMPs, but after due consultations and deliberations with the concerned villagers.
Betalbatim sarpanch Constancio Miranda also echoed similar sentiments saying the CZMPS will not reflect the ground realities if the suggestions and objections made by the villagers through the gram
sabhas and Panchayat does not reflect in the CZMPs.
Meanwhile, the controversial CZMP, the Major Ports Authority Bill and the commercialization of River Sal took centre stage at the gram sabha of Carmona Panchayat.
The meeting chaired by Sarpanch Allwyn Jorge saw members raising their strong objections to the CZMP, and demanding to know how jetties have been shown on the plan.
The Sarpanch explained that the relevant suggestions, objections as received at the last Special Gram Sabha were already forwarded to the GCZMA for necessary rectification of the draft plan.
The Macazana Gram Sabha also firmly rejected the CZMP prepared by the government, with members demanding the implementation of the plan with suggestions from the villagers and the panchayat.
The meeting chaired by Sarpanch Caeitan Vaz lamented that the suggestions and proposals mooted by the villagers found no mention on the plan sent to the Panchayat by the government.
The members requested the panchayat to lodge objections and suggestions made by the gram sabah to the government, with some demanding that the plan show the location of houses on the CZMP.
Sarpanch Caietan later told the media that he would send the objections and proposals mooted by the gram sabha members to the government.
The Betalbatim gram sabha chaired by Sarpanch Constancio Miranda also adopted a resolution vehemently objecting to the CZMP for the village. Members pointed out that the sand dunes, and other features found no mention on CZMP and demanded finalization of the plan as per the inputs submitted by the villagers via the gram sabha.
