MARGAO
The Goyche Fudle Pilge Khatir organisation has lodged its objection to the draft Jetty policy over the condition that the objections should be filed via email and restricted to 500 words.The Organisation has also called for an awareness meeting on the controversial Goa Jetty policy at the Grace Church hall, Margao on October 12 at 4.30 pm. Social activists Swapnesh Sherlekar and Avinash Tavares, besides Dr Sebastiao Rodrigues of the Barat Mukti Morcha, will guide the participants at the awareness meeting.
In a letter addressed to the Tourism Director, Goyche Fudle Pilge Khatir has lamented that the Department of Tourism has retained objectionable conditions of filing objections only via email and within 500 words.
“These conditions are not acceptable to us because of their unjustifiability, and we request you to withdraw them immediately and let people write as much they want without any word restriction whatsoever and also allow for submission of hard copies to the Tourism Department,” the letter addressed by J Mascarenhas stated.
The Organisation reminded the Tourism Minister and the Secretary that not all the people living in riparian lands and coastal areas of Goa have email addresses.
“Making email submissions compulsory is a sign of absurdity on the part of Goa Tourism Department intended towards exclusion of mass of Goans from the process of decision making," the letter stated, adding “Putting word limit of 500 words on objections/ suggestions is in violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of India as it inducts gagging as mode of governance. This we completely reject.”
The Organisation has further noted that the draft Jetty Policy is circulated only in English language bypassing Konkani in Roman and Devnagri script along with Marathi. This has contributed towards the exclusion of many Goans from decision-making, the letter said.
“If these three conditions for submissions are not revoked by you then we will reject the Draft as well as subsequent Final Jetty Policy 2022 and will initiate mass agitation against this Tourism Department Policy of exclusion intended to take people of Goa hostage. Your office will be held responsible and accountable for the consequences that will flow from your adamant conduct of affairs,” the letter added.
