The litmus test is to go back to where this all started. In the sylvan surroundings of Sanguem and in the salubrious climes of the orchard land where there are coconut trees and fields on which the red category beer factory has been cleared with a statement by the Industries Minster saying that even though the project falls in this category, it can be permitted in Goa. We shall not dwell on a response to this here since we have explained in our lead info package on page 1 why the Industry Minster’s assumption or information isn’t correct since it violates the Investment Promotion Act of his own department.
What the government needs to answer, however, is whether the project proponents of the alcohol factory who had very triumphantly declared to Herald when it broke the first story of the beer factory in Sanguem, that they could merrily cut coconut trees, will now have to go to the Agriculture department to get permission to cut the coconut trees since they are now a crop. If the Jains of Vani Agro are indeed made to go to the Agriculture department – even if the department gives the NOC – the fundamental battle of those fighting against the de-classification of the coconut tree, would have been won. And the fundamental battle in this case was to fight for the presence of an authority, which would at the very least see if the destruction of coconut trees is warranted for a specific project.
This, however, does not mean that the decision to pass the powers of giving an NOC to the Agriculture department and not to a stronger authority of experts is correct. The government has indeed created a Coconut Development Board. Here again, it’s important to point out that this wasn’t a government brainwave but first came up during a seminar on the coconut issue where Armando Gonsalves of Goa for Giving suggested the creation of a Coconut Development Board which would oversee every contentious and pending issue. Now that the Board has been announced, it is critical to draft the rules governing this board carefully and with a purpose of letting the experts take over. It is the Coconut Development Board which should be the go to authority for all permissions to cut coconut trees, besides its obvious purpose of deciding on support prices and looking after farmer’s welfare.
If the Investment Promotion Board can emerge as an all powerful giant which stands taller than the Town and Country Planning department, and clear investment projects, irrespective of environmental concerns, then the Coconut Development Board, (CDB) can well be armed with stronger teeth to take independent decisions to safeguard the coconut tree. Rather than push decisions to the Agriculture department, the Director Agriculture can be an ex officio member of the CDB headed
by professionals.
Taking this a step further, if the IPB wishes to identify an area as an Investment Promotion Area, similar to the area where the beer factory is coming up, it should send the project file to the CDB for a decision on whether coconuts on the property, if any, may be felled.
This government must realise that ad-hoc decisions, without any justification or debate will not pass muster. Every move has to be justified and every lollipop fed to the people has to be wrapped with an explanation that is proven to be genuine.
