PANAJI
Several youngsters under the banner of the Youth From Across Goa on Saturday demanded that government should revoke the forest clearances given to three controversial projects and stop tokenism about having a discussion on these.
The youth have warned of state-wide protests if the government does not scrap these projects. They urged the people to unitedly come forward to protect Goa forgetting differences of religion and political affiliation.
At a press conference, the youth questioned the move of government on one hand for putting up Goa State Action Plan for Climate Change for comments and on the other hand saying that it will go ahead with the projects despite scientists, doctors, lawyers, architects and people sending numerous representations.
The youth highlighted that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2019 shows how the Western Ghats gives us the resilience to climate change and will allow for better adaptation against its effects.
By not revoking clearances and destroying the Western Ghats, you are destroying our future and this tokenism is not only blatantly apparent but also contradictory in nature, they added.
The youths said that many a time the Goa government has tried to feign ignorance about the Mollem projects being Central projects. We will not allow you to feign ignorance anymore. Be brave enough to take responsibility. Stop passing the buck, they stated.
The youth said they categorically state that the Goa Government knew about these three proposals from the beginning. “In fact, they have forwarded these proposals based on the approval granted by the Chief Wildlife Warden and recommendation of Goa State Board for Wildlife to the Central Government,” they observed.
