PANAJI
The Enough is Enough movement spearhead and former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Ferdino Rebello on Saturday called for strong civic action against what he called was corruption in governance and inefficiency and apathy in the administration.
Addressing viewers at the 'online meet' symbolically held on 'Goa Statehood Day', Rebello said the movement, primarily launched to oppose and arrest the government-backed largescale conversion of eco-sensitive land for real estate and commercial projects, will reinvent and relaunch its ground campaign post monsoon.
The meeting originally planned to be held at the iconic Azad Maidan had to be moved online after the authorities revoked the permission granted for the use of the maidan, citing Statehood Day programmes.
Padmashree and noted lawyer-environmentalist, Norma Alvares, who was among those who addressed the meet, focused on raising awareness about the changes brought in by the government in the TCP act to open the floodgates of real estate and commercial development of land otherwise barred from construction under the Regional Plan-2021.
Alvares noted that the change in 2018, adding section 16B (later revoked after legal challenges) began this unprecedented "sale of Goa" as did subsequent changes like section 17(2) and 39A of the Town and Country Planning Act.
She also claimed that all these changes in the statute turned planning on its head and instead threw the floor open for individual land and plot owners to decide the changes they needed in land-use zoning to satisfy commercial interests.
Rebello, who has long been vocal about systemic reforms, reiterated that the movement is not aligned to any political party but is instead a people’s initiative aimed at ensuring accountability.
He stressed that citizens must demand better governance and resist complacency in public life.
Accountability in governance, transparency in decision-making and the State's financial management were some of the themes highlighted by the speakers which also included Swapnesh Sherlekar and Govind Shirodkar.
Rebello, finally, urged Goans to become more actively involved in civic and public issues, from local governance to State-level policy debates. He closed the session by calling on citizens to “stand up and speak out” against inefficiency and corruption, underscoring that the movement’s strength lies in collective action.
