In what could be termed as yet another irregularity by the government, the Water Resources Department has taken up construction of a Rs 16 crore jetty at Siolim without conducting an Environment Impact Assessment or a study from NIO.
Activists have alleged that the construction of the jetty is being carried out without even an NOC from the panchayat.
Locals are up in the arms as they suspect the illegal construction of jetty at a brisk pace is being done to shift the off-shore casinos from River Mandovi.
Documents obtained under Right to Information reveal that WRD Minister Dayanand Mandrekar had proposed repairs of the bundh connecting the Siolim fish market, which was also sanctioned by the department, but instead of a bundh, the work of the jetty has been taken up on the same proposal.
Moreover, the documents also reveal that the Siolim-Marna Panchayat has resolved to allow the beautification work of the bundh, provided an NOC was taken from the panchayat, and not the jetty.
However, sources say that no NOC has been taken from the panchayat even has the work on the jetty has begun in full swing.
Strangely, following a letter from Mandrekar for beautification of the riverfront and repair of bundh on March 10, 2015, within three days an inspection was carried out and a report was submitted by Executive Engineer P B Badami.
“The site was inspected by the undersigned along with the assistant engineer and it was noticed that the existing wall for a stretch of 250 mts along River Chapora near the Siolim market is in very bad shape and may collapse in the near future, posing danger to the families living in the houses along this stretch during monsoons,” the report reads.
Further, it says that in the wake of the above, an estimate is prepared for construction of a bundh with an RCC retaining wall with Moorum backfilling to protect the border along the stretch for the length of 250 mts.
Within 24 days of this report, on April 7, 2016, an administrative approval was granted for the project of Rs 9.8 crore for the purpose of “Development of River Chapora at Siolim”.
Surprisingly, the GCZMA inspection report says the Rapid EIA to be done by the project proponent, if any, may be decided by the authority even after the GCZMA member Dr Mascarenhas had pointed out that detailed EIA is needed by a reputed organisation as the Chapora estuary is virtually uncharted.
Documents also reveal that at the GCZMA meeting, the WRD had agreed to carry out the design for tidal variation with the help of National Institute of Oceanography, but till date, nothing has been carried out.
Gurudas Vernekar, a resident who is spearheading the opposition to the project, says the entire project is illegal.
“How can you propose a bundh and construct a jetty instead? This is nothing but a backdoor entry to the off-shore casinos in Siolim,” he said.
Vernekar also said that when asked for the reason for constructing the jetty, the local MLA and WRD officials say that it is for the fisherman. He added, “There are no fishing community here, but there are in Bhattim.”
He also said that “if the WRD report said that the bundh was in dangerous state, then why was the jetty work being carried out first?”
“This smacks of major corruption scam,” he said.
Siolim panch Vinod Palyekar has demanded an inquiry into the issue. He said, “The issue needs to be probed as there is already a fishing dock in Siolim, which can be used by the fisherfolk, as claimed by the local MLA and WRD minister.”
