PANAJI
As the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) appointed Expert Committee completes its ground verification of villages under Eco Sensitive Areas (ESA), the State government is hopeful that the Centre will agree to its demand for the removal of 21 villages from the ESA.
Speaking to media persons on Thursday, Sawant said that he is confident the State's request will be "positively" considered and fulfilled.
"We had a meeting with the Committee and it has recommended that 21 villages be removed. If possible, more villages can be considered for removal. Our demands are genuine, and they are in the interest of the State and its people," he said.
The Chief Minister said, "I am positive that they will agree to all our demands and fulfil them."
In order to undertake ground verification of the proposal, the Ministry's Expert Committee arrived in Goa on Tuesday. The committee will leave for Delhi on Friday.
The committee on Thursday held a second round of meetings with the State Government, led by Environment Minister Alexio Sequeira.
Post-meeting, Sequeira said that the final decision would be taken by the Union Ministry.
"We have put forward our case for the deletion of 21 villages from the ESA. We are seeking for more villages to be removed. The team will be leaving for Delhi to submit its report to MoEF&CC, who will take the final call on the matter," the Minister said.
The Centre, in its draft notification issued in August, had proposed 108 villages from Goa as ESA. The government in its proposal had suggested dropping 12 villages from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem, and one from Canacona taluka.
The State has pleaded that 87 villages be categorised as ESA since they meet the criteria set out by the Ministry.
Earlier, the Minister had said that during the interaction, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had raised certain issues before the committee, such as dependence on minor minerals. "We are dependent on minor minerals from these villages," he said, adding, "If we ban the extraction of minor minerals, we will have to be dependent on other states."
