MARGAO
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao has sought Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s intervention in what he terms as erroneous depiction of sand dunes on the beach area from Velsao to Cavelosim belt in Mormugao and Salcete talukas.
The NCP MLA has warned that wrong depiction of sand dunes will have a long-term suffering and deprivation on the people owning lands to make use of it.
Addressing the media, Churchill said he has dashed off a letter to the Chief Minister to take a serious note of the matter, saying depiction of the entire beach belts will spell doom for tourism and deprivation of livelihoods to the local populace.
“The members deputed for the ground reality verification exercise lack the necessary qualification, expertise as well as experience and exposure in dealing with this sensitive issues since they are from the legal and other background”, he said in the letter to the Chief Minister.
He alleged the experts came with a fixed mindset and wrongfully defined sand dunes on the entire coastal belt from Velsao to Cavelossim. This is arbitrarily done to please some NGOs. If allowed to be finalized, this will prevent even beach shacks from being put up in private properties and take away the fishing activities of the local fishermen”, he said.
He added: “We have even man-made sand dunes in this area which have been misinterpreted and misrepresented by the expert committee. This is also clear from the land records and the Portuguese documents clearly reveal that there are rice fields in and around these areas. Sand/soil was cleared to make flat land for rice and other agricultural cultivation and pushed into a heap towards the sea-side direction. The heap of sand is now being wrongly depicted as sand dune due to lack of knowledge of the past history of agriculture of these area”.
Churchill further demanded that the government immediately take up the work of break water facility at the river Sal mouth at Betul to contain further damage to the Cavelossim-Mobor coast and to ensure smooth navigational channel for fishing vessels at the mouth. “I have been told the National Green Tribunal has disposed of the case relating to the work of break water facility at the river Sal Mouth. The government should immediately resume work at the site”, he demanded.
‘Realistic and feasible’ western
bypass route on stilts proposed
MARGAO: The Benaulim MLA informed he has put up a note to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant proposing a realistic and feasible western bypass route on stilts.
In his letter, Churchill informed that the shortened route is feasible and will enable the construction of the Benaulim portion of the western bypass on stilts, claiming the shortened route will be cost effective and will prevent the much-feared mass water logging and ecological disaster.
“No fresh land acquisition proceedings are required since the owners of the land holding are the same from the existing acquired area to the new shortened route. The NOCs will be made available if required. The process will not cause any delay”, Churchill said, while urging the Chief Minister to give a serious thought to the shortened route proposal of the western bypass passing through Benaulim.
