the goan I network
PANAJI
Civil society, fishing communities and others engaged in traditional occupations along Goa’s coastline were up in arms. So were political parties and NGOs.
Yet, issues surrounding the new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification which came into force in late 2018 and which diluted safeguards for coastal eco-systems, are finding no place of note in the discussions and debates even as electioneering for the April 23 parliamentary poll gains momentum. Many are not impressed.
Derrick Cardozo, a traditional fisherman from Nerul is unsure if it will be an issue at all at the polls. He told “The Goan”, “Our huts where we keep our nets and tools will be affected with the new notification. The notification needs to be withdrawn. But I can’t say if it will be a factor in these elections.”
Agnelo Rodrigues of the Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) however believes that people will definitely be influenced by it to take a decision which way they will vote.
“We are opposed to the notification. People will definitely keep the notification in mind while voting,” Rodrigues said.
Camilo Souza, another fisherman from Velsao-Cansaulim said: “If the NDZ if brought down to 50 meters from 200, we’ll get no space to pull ashore our fishing canoes and boats. Big hotels will block our way to go out to sea. Every side it is us who will face the impact of these problems. We had approached both Rahul Gandhi and the BJP to include these issues in their manifestos, but the BJP manifesto is...something different.” Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Savio Messias also concurred with the view that the notification would not affect Goa because of the population parameters and that it will not influence which way the ongoing elections will sway.
Meanwhile, Serafin Cotta, the president of the Goa Small and Medium Hoteliers Association (GSMHA) felt that the new CRZ notification would affect the environment. But he wasn’t convinced that it would be a factor as far as the current elections were concerned.
“People are not looking at this issue for this election. People are just looking at which party to bring to power, and which not to,” Cotta told
“The Goan.”
Pifram Fernandes, joint-secretary of GSMHA said the CRZ notification per-se will not be totally incorporated in Goa because of the population parameters. He too does not believe it will have a bearing on the Lok Sabha polls and felt that the performance of the government will be the prime factor.
Mapusa-based Rui Da Gama of Asha Charitable Trust, who was actively involved in the agitation to oppose the notification, was convinced the issue was still alive.
Da Gama said, the people of Goa are aware of the notification which the Modi government brought in and will register their response through their voting right.
“With the CRZ notification they’re destroying the coastline. If our beaches are spoilt, what will be the state of our tourism industry? We’re trying to protect the ramponkars and shack owners. The big hotels will not allow these smaller players to survive,” Da Gama said.
Meanwhile, all the main contenders for the Lok Sabha seat in North Goa claimed the issues related to the new CRZ notification do come up during their day-to-day campaigns.
Congress candidate Girish Chodankar told “The Goan” that he had been posed a lot of questions on the issue during his campaigning rounds. He said, his party had tackled the issue in their national manifesto.
AYUSH minister Shripad Naik, who is the sitting MP and is vying for a record fifth term, also claimed it figures in his campaign and that it will find place in the party’s local manifesto. AAP’s Pradeep Padgaonkar meanwhile told “The Goan,” that his party had played an active part in the anti-CRZ protests in 2018 and he is committed to the party’s position.
