MARGAO: The legal battle appears drawn between the Margao-based Federation of Rainbow Warriors and the government over the controversial Mopa airport.
A petition filed by the Rainbow Warriors challenging the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted for the Mopa airport by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has been admitted by the National Green Tribunal. In fact, sources in the know said that the NGT after admitting the petition filed by the city-based NGO, has ordered issuing of notices to the Goa government, Ministry of Civil Aviation, besides the Ministry of Environment and Forest and others. Hearing of the petition is expected to come up before the NGT in the first fortnight of January 2016.
Sources said the Rainbow warriors, which had earlier petitioned the Chairman of Expert Appraisal Committee for Infrastructure Development in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change with a plea not to grant EC to the Greenfield international airport at Mopa on a host of reasons, including the ground that the EIA study and report have completely ignored the study area lying in the State of Maharashtra, which constitutes a substantial portion of the study area (about 40% of the study area is completely ignored) and includes the protected Western Ghats and corridor of Sawantwadi-Dodamarg.
Amongst other things, the NGO had stated that EIA Report has missed out all the hydro-geological features of the plateau. “Not a single spring out of the scores of perennial springs emanating out of the plateau is recorded, though no visit can be made to the plateau without noticing the springs and streams. All maps available with the project proponent like the survey maps, topographical maps and regional plan and google earth imagery clearly show the waterways. The water recharge characteristics of the plateau surface and the groundwater aquifers underneath have also not been studied.
The rich floral diversity of the plateau can be observed in the monsoon months only. The baseline data was collected in October-December period in 2011. The count of floral species in the EIA study conducted by the project proponent is therefore less than half the actual number and excludes most of the rare and endemic species that are found on the plateau, especially in the monsoon season. The EIA study also fails to consider the forest patches that exist on the plateau and lakhs of forest trees that will need to be cut for the construction of the airport”, the NGO had maintained.
When the media sought to know from the convenor of Goans for Dabolim Only (GFDO) Fr Eremito Rebello the status of the battle against the Mopa airport, he said other groups opposing Mopa have knocked the doors of the court for justice, adding that GFDO is supporting all those groups, which have opposed the proposed airport on scientific lines.
---------
HEARING OF PETITION
It is expected to come up before the NGT in the first fortnight of January 2016
------
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS OF THE NGO
* The EIA report has completely ignored the study area lying in the State of Maharashtra, which includes the protected Western Ghats
* The EIA Report has missed out all the hydro-geological features of the plateau
* The water recharge characteristics of the plateau surface and the groundwater aquifers underneath have also not been studied
* The EIA study also fails to consider the forest patches that exist on the plateau and lakhs of forest trees that will need to be cut
