Goa government is moving over a crore square metres of ecologically sensitive land in Salcete taluka as a No Development Zone (NDZ). The Govt stated that this move, encompassing salt pans and paddy fields across seven villages, aims to bolster environmental protection and safeguard the state's delicate ecosystems. First point is how much of this land was already protected and it should not be that the government is now saying that they are 'protecting land that was already protected'. My concern is that paddy fields are already protected under existing strict laws. If they are moved into an NDZ, those protections may be weakened or removed! In the future, the Goa Government could reclassify these NDZ areas as development zones, leaving paddy fields then exposed to conversion/destruction. This move to NDZ must be thoroughly investigated, and the Goa government must provide clear, fool-proof assurances that paddy fields and salt pans cannot be converted for settlement or destroyed through any future reclassification. Many people, including me, do not trust Goa’s corrupt, self-centred and compromised ministers. Therefore, every move they make must be carefully scrutinized.
ARWIN MESQUITA, Colva
