In the draft Western Ghats ESA notification, the Centre has marked 108 villages in Goa as ESA (Ecologically Sensitive Areas). Of these 108 villages, 64 are situated in North Goa and 44 in South Goa district. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the government will exclude maximum villages from Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA). The government wants more villages not to be included in the eco sensitive zone, quite obviously to allow its version of “development”. I think Goans have to panic; more so because the Goa Government wants to exclude about 45/more villages from the ESA and we know that the Goa Govt has a extremely destructive/tainted record on " its version of development". I think the Goan ministers have selfish/sinister intentions on Goa and its precious land/environment in terms of how their 'real estate business" will be affected! I think we Goans need to demand maximum villages to be included in the ESA and on this I commend the efforts of Canacona villagers particularly Poinguinim and Loliem villages for having called on the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to retain their villages in ESAs of the Western Ghats.
