PANAJI
Revolutionary Goans Chief Manoj Parab demands proper screening and facilities for the 1,000-odd people attending the public hearing on the draft coastal zone management plan (CZMP), that started on Thursday. There was no lunch break and neither was drinking water made available for those attending the hearing, said Revolutionary Goans.
“First of all this plan is prepared by a team from National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai without consulting the villagers. The speakers requested the team that their village plans be displayed on the screen so that accordingly they could highlight the flaws, but a deaf ear was turned towards the same. This hearing was a clear example of the decline in democracy and the rise in dictatorship in planning this draft CZMP. We Goans had no freedom to speak at the hearing to draft a plan for Goa and the people who live here. They refused to give any clarification, just making notes,” said Parab.
“This is a part of the BJP-led government plan of facilitating coal transportation. The thoughtless CZMP drafted will destroy our environment, marine areas and will finish the fishing communities living in the coastal areas. Many eco-sensitive zones are missed out as well as old houses and sluice gates. During the last seven years, the government did nothing and at the last minute, they want to impose this destructive plan on us,” Parab pointed out.
