An expert committee constituted by the Union environment ministry has been informed by our Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that only 69 villages in the Western Ghats should be considered for declaration as eco sensitive zones (ESZs). Our CM, without any proper environmental impact assessment study or application of mind has emphatically ruled that out of 99 villages spread over 1,461 sq.kms of green area identified for declaration, 40 do not fulfill the criteria. In a related development, a ruling party MLA is rallying people from many talukas to demonstrate against their villages being declared as ESZs, misleading them by saying that the people won't be able to even enter their houses once the demarcation comes through. Villagers are being grossly misguided by these supposed public representatives to serve their narrow political ends. In fact even after a village is included in the ESZ, the residents would continue to enjoy full rights to stay in their houses and carry out activities as before provided it doesn't harm the environment. Panchayats have been passing erroneous resolutions based on the fulminations of these nefarious politicians who are working in tandem with real estate sharks to grab whatever is left of Goa.
