The government is expected to decide on the next course following Sunday's hearings that failed to take off following angry reactions by people. The question on everybody’s mind is: will the government give the people of Goa a realistic opportunity? Or will it continue to bulldoze against the demands of the people?
While representations continue to trickle in before the deadline of March 15, statements made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and State Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral that "all opportunities were given to the people to raise their objections to the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan on the right platform" raises suspicion over fair play. For the uncompromising Goan, Sunday's hearings cannot be construed as a lost opportunity, even by the smallest figment of the imagination.
Let's first consider the broad parameters of a public hearing. Given the pandemic, there are protocols put in place by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for the conduct of public hearings. It stipulates the number of persons attending the hearing, but it also allows the States to decide on holding multiple hearings staggering them over different dates and times. It further allows virtual platforms in addition to the physical process. There is a clause that says that the State may also obtain responses in writing from concerned persons having a plausible stake in the plan through electronic means.
Next, let's understand the significance of public hearings. The prime objective of such an exercise is to provide a platform for affected people, including stakeholders to ask questions, express their views, and if necessary support their arguments with evidence. Even with a pandemic protocol in place, there were avenues of wider participation to ensure that the fears and concerns of common citizens are addressed.
Now, here's why the CZMP public hearing cannot be considered as an opportunity in the first place. It is common knowledge that the draft does not reflect the ground reality of our coastal landscape, and the dissensions and objections across villages stand testimony to the fact that there are serious discrepancies and omissions in the plan. It is obvious that the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai “ an agency approved by the Centre to prepare the plan, has failed to understand the intricacies of coastal Goa.
Against this background, the State government should have explored options of giving opportunities to people to examine the draft and raise their concerns. How could the 42 who turned out from the 86 registered speakers at Ravindra Bhavan and a few at Kala Academy do justice to the concerns raised by thousands of people and local bodies across Goa? How can the government call this small number a fair representation when it rejects the massive opposition to projects spread across lakhs of people as an unfair representation? How can you allow only 150 participants and call it an opportunity?
In fact, this was a golden opportunity for the government to show solidarity with the affected people and proceed in all fairness and sincerity. By refusing to hear the voices that need to be heard, the government is once against positioning itself against the people.
