the goan I network
SANGUEM
Upping the ante against the government’s move to declare Netravali along with other villages as eco sensitive zone, villagers vowed to oppose it saying they were already facing the wrath of the Forest Department in undertaking any work in their own properties.
At a large gathering on Sunday, speaker after speaker said they would thwart any move of the government and the Forest Department stating the eco sensitive zone will only compound the problems faced by the villagers.
Addressing the gathering, Chairperson ZP South Goa Navnath Naik expressed the need for all concerned villagers to come together irrespective of their party affiliations to get the notification withdrawn by the government.
Naik was critical of the Forest Department and the government for coming out with the notification declaring Netravali village along with other villages as eco sensitive zone without taking the villagers into confidence.
“It is much surprising that the government has come out with the notification keeping the villagers into total darkness and making an attempt to impose the notification on the villagers”, he said.
“Once the eco sensitive zone is notified, the villagers will be left without any rights on their own land. Despite the villagers being in possession of vast properties, they will not be able to undertake any development on their land once the notification comes into force, informed Naik.
Deputy Sarpanch of Netravali, Abhijit Desai made the people aware of the consequences that they would have to face if the notification comes into force. He urged them not to remain mute spectators and if needed, hit the streets to oppose the unilateral decision taken by the government.
“The people living in Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary are already facing the wrath of the Forest Department in undertaking work in their properties and the declaration of Netravali village as eco sensitive zone will only compound the problems”, he said.
Desai informed that despite the villagers having given a representation to the Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar to get the village out of the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, the government has gone a step forward to put the village under the eco sensitive zone. Once done, the villagers will be totally under the ambit of Forest Department and the villagers will not be able to undertake any project works in the village, he said.
As of now, the villagers are already at logger heads with the Forest Department on
issues concerning development projects in the village. The situation will now be all the more worse once the notification comes into effect as almost 95 per cent of Netravali village would come under the ambit of the eco sensitive zone, Desai said.
Adv. Anand Gaonkar apprised the villagers of the legal trouble and complications once the notifications comes into force.
Others who spoke at the meeting included Shashikant Gaonkar, Bhiku Kalmo, Satyavan Dessai, Maya Zangale, Chanda Gaonkar, Vithal Gaonkar Chanda Gaonkar and Uday Gaonkar.
