the goan I network
VASCO
The panchayat body and gram sabha members of Velsao-Pale-Issorcim on Sunday unanimously rejected the draft CRZ notification 2018 and the latest Amendment to CRZ Notification 2011 done through S.O 3197 (E) dated 2nd of July 2018.
Gram sabha members said that this was the most important issue affecting all Goans.
The body also unanimously rejected RP-21 and the provisions of Transferrable Development Rights (TDRs) in the Town and Country Planning Act claiming that the Regional Plan 2021 had fraudulently converted orchard, fields, hills and CRZ land into settlement. They further demanded the scrapping of RP-2021 and TDR.
The panchayat body also rejected any mega projects like 3, 5, 7-star hotels and housing projects at Velsao and unanimously resolved to de-notify PDA from Sancoale village.
They unanimously resolved that the government should find immediate mitigation measures to stop erosion at Velsao beach and blamed the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) for unregulated dredging affecting the sandy beach of Velsao.
Gram sabha member Agnelo Fernandes said that the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) surveyed 6,031 kms of India’s 7,517 km coastline from 1990 to 2016 and found that 33% of it has witnessed erosion.
“The recent floods in Kerala is only because of rampant unregulated development and because the government has neglected the environment. Soon, Goa will witness the same if development is not done in accordance with the environment,” he warned, adding, that any dilution of CRZ 2011 will be detrimental to Goa’s shores which attract more than four million tourists every year.”
Olencio Simoes, General Secretary, GRE said, “The state government must take this issue on priority and constitute a committee of experts to find the main reason behind such erosion and find measures to stop this. They should approach the Pondicherry government that has restored their beach through beach and nourishment and other methods.”
