Team Herald
MARGAO: The villagers of Loutolim have found numerous mistakes in the final Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and warn that there will be damage to the environment and people’s livelihood if these are not corrected. At the recent gram sabha, the villagers listed out all the flaws and demanded that the authorities concerned take action.
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The first lapse was that no fishing areas were demarcated, despite the villagers having submitted maps of the areas where ‘futtani’, ‘aryo’, ‘katal’, ‘pagel’, ‘lambari’, ‘kobulem’, and other fishing methods are carried out along the entire length of the river bank and inside the river.
No fish breeding areas were shown either, despite the entire river being a rich breeding ground for numerous varieties of fish, crustaceans, shellfish and other marine species or the fact the law mandates that the legend include fish breeding areas.
The villagers emphasised how mudflats and mangroves have exceptional importance as rich nurseries and breeding grounds for fish and shellfish, but that neither have been shown properly either.
Furthermore, canoe parking areas have also not been shown at all. Villagers felt that the two separate parking places of canoes, during the operation period and during monsoon/storms, have to be demarcated.
Moreover, the traditional footpaths to and along the river bundhs are not shown, which need to be demarcated to protect the interests of the local fishermen and protect the environment.
Elsewhere, the villagers noted that the roosting sites of bats and waterfowl on the river side are not shown.
Concerns were further raised about how none of the authorised structures belonging to the residents within the CRZ were not shown, even though the legend is supposed to include the demarcation of such structures. Locals feared that this could lead to the declaration of all such structures as ‘unauthorised’.
The villagers demanded that the location of the lighthouse be corrected and for the extension of the High Tide Line (HTL) of Rassaim creek.
The villagers also criticised the demarcation of some khazan lands and water bodies while also demanding that all khazan lands and water bodies be demarcated as per the draft CZMP plans the locals had submitted and as shown in RP 2021 and survey plans.
Finally, they questioned why the ferry ramp at Rassaim was shown as ‘Jetty/Shipyard/Ramp’. They said ferry ramps should be given a different symbol in the legend, wherein the one at Rassaim should be marked as a ferry ramp only.
