PANAJI
A day after anger was expressed in Salcete, concerns have now been raised in Mormugao over the marking of port limits on draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for the State.
Highlighting the concerns, a source told The Goan that people in the State need to spot a critical aspect or fallout of the Major Port Authorities (MPA) Bill.
“The Draft CZMP put up for public scrutiny shows MPT’s “port limits” within and along banks of River Zuari (including Raj Bhavan!) up to Cortalim, within and along the coast of the Arabian Sea down southwards, upto Velsao beach and Betul port.”
“This is unprecedented as it was not there in the first draft CZMP put in the public domain in mid-2019. Neither was it there in Goa’s CZMP 1996. This development has a direct nexus with the Major Port Authorities Bill (soon to be a law),” said the source.
“The MPT has cleverly marked its territory within Goan waters and coastline. The port limits overlap the fishing villages marked on the CZMP, which could put fishing communities into peril. Our State government has unwittingly allowed them to incorporate their port limits on the draft coastal plan.”
“Either our government is aware of it and pretending to be ignorant, or is too naïve to spot the conspiracy/long term plan,” the source added.
