Speaking to Herald, UMG President Iris Passanha said they have raised several serious objections that the Government is proposing to nationalise six rivers of Goa without attempting to consult the stakeholders. “This undemocratic decision will not only violate the rights of the people but can destroy the sensitive and fragile ecology of our State,” said Passanha.
He said Goa is a tiny fragile State, which has been an agrarian society and is naturally composed of land mass which includes fields, khazan and wetlands, fresh water ponds, lakes and their estuaries will be affected.
“The rivers are our basic lifelines which sustain agriculture, fishing and water for drinking and several Goan communities that are totally dependent on the rivers for their livelihood would be displaced causing human right violations,” he added.
UMG said that fishing and sand mining communities and water sports activities will be forced to stop and the river banks and surrounding properties will be taken over by corporates displacing the existing settlements and business activities.
“Most importantly control by the central government will automatically create bankruptcy in the legitimate existence of a tiny State like Goa and the possibility of our rivers being misused by the corporate lobbies for promoting their businesses at the cost of the local communities cannot be ignored,” he said.
UMG has also written to the Director of Fisheries and Fisheries Minister requesting alternative jetty provisions or compensation to sustain the manpower and loss of daily income due to the BRICS Summit.
“Thousands of locals dependent on the fishing business within the State will be deprived of their daily livelihood for seven days, which makes their daily living and coping up with paying their staff difficult,” UMG said.
