Team Herald
MARGAO: NGO Federation of Rainbow Warriors on Friday claimed that the Environment Clearance (EC) to the proposed Mopa airport has been delayed after the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) did not grant the EC to Mopa at its recent meeting in early September.
EAC was scheduled to examine the environment impact assessment (EIA) study and the public hearing report, conducted for the construction of the international airport at Mopa before deciding on granting environmental clearance to the project.
As per the copy of the minutes of the meeting, it stated that the EAC has taken note of a representation received from Federation of Rainbow Warriors, Margao and has deferred the grant of the EC. The Goa government has been asked to submit a point wise reply to the issues raised by the Rainbow Warriors before the grant of the EC will be considered.
Cuncolim-based activist Rony Dias and president of the federation explained that the letter from Rainbow Warriors points to over a dozen fundamental flaws in the manner in which the EIA was carried out.
“This includes expiry of the Terms of Reference and baseline data, false data on hydrogeology, local communities, flora and fauna, absence of data regarding parts of Maharashtra within the study area, and failure to assess the negative impact of the proposed airport on the lives of the local residents, the Western Ghats and the economy of Goa. The Rainbow Warriors have asked the EAC to reject the EIA Report based on the flaws pointed out and to direct Goa Government to conduct a proper and factual study before considering the proposal,” said Dias.
