Recently, a Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking direction from the Election Commission to regulate poll manifestos and make political parties accountable for promises made. The petitioner claims that manifestos are vision documents and hence a published declaration of objectives to be achieved, intentions and views of political parties. For voters, it is a kind of an agenda for governance. Hence, a manifesto must be statutory and legally enforceable. However, the electorate is of the concerted view that once the elections are won, the so called manifesto ends up as a piece of paper. The occurrence of such awkward situations calls for a debate.
In Goa, the two major parties the BJP and the INC in particular, have projected a long list of promises for public welfare. Other smaller parties have shown just a single-page agenda. Surprisingly, the major parties issued their respective programmes only a few days before elections. None of them have prioritised the list of issues. Therefore, it was not possible for the electorate to infer what exactly the political parties intended, and the approach they would adopt to solve critical issues. Although ecological issues do feature, the impending dangers from natural hazards due climate change are ignored. In this article, few crucial topics of environmental concern, as mentioned in the manifestos, are considered.
The BJP has published a Goa Sankalp Patra 2022 in which the party has made 22 resolutions for Goa’s development. But surprisingly, in the entire document, there is absolutely no mention about the society oriented environmental problems plaguing Goa. However, only three topics call for comments: (A) Cleaner transport for a greener Goa and a resolution to make Goa ‘carbon neutral’ is welcome step. Subsidy for e-vehicles and introduction of e-buses to build an eco-friendly transportation infrastructure for Goa is imperative. However, e-infrastructure is not in place, car dealers are not aware of subsidies, and no one knows who will qualify for a rebate. (B) A comprehensive programme called “Goa beyond beaches” appears grandiose. But the criteria employed for the selection of hinterland tourist sites is not known. (C) To honour Goa’s heritage, renovation and restoration of historical forts and monuments across the State is contemplated. But note that most forts are lying in shambles since decades; some come under the purview of ASI and others are owned by Goa government; restoration plans are unheard of.
The INC has published an exhaustive document entitled “Road map for Goa vision 2035” that describes a variety of promises on from an environmental perspective. Under the caption serene and beautiful Goa, the party has proposed the following: protection of environment, forests, wildlife; scrapping of three linear projects; protection of coastline, rivers, water bodies; initiatives to increase green cover in the state; effective waste disposal management; measures to curb air and water pollution. Under the chapter on environment, three anti-environment linear projects, effort to repeal CRZ 2019, coal hub concept to be rejected, arbitrary Sagarmala projects not to be allowed, legislation for rivers to be controlled under state laws, setting up of marinas to be reviewed. The topics proposed are undoubtedly commendable.
The feasibility of promises made merits a discussion: (1) Efforts to revive CRZ 2011 and repeal CRZ 2019: Achieving such a feat appears insurmountable. CRZ rules meant to protect ecologically sensitive ecosystems and geo-morphologically important features, are acts of parliament, and would need a major decree. Revoking this notification is next to impossible; but instead, a fitting new amendment would be the right approach. (2) Erosion control: Such strategies need substantial scientific backing to identify critically unstable sites, a topic beyond the scope of a manifesto. (3) Oppose the extension of port jurisdiction: Based on the new MPA 2021, the MPT has become the sole owner of large parts of sandy and rocky coasts. Also an act of parliament, the CRZ 2019 and MPA 2021 impinge on each other. Nothing but a parliamentary decree can nullify the stringent ports act. (4) Rejuvenation of wetlands and water bodies: The most achievable target, the encroachment on wetlands and contamination of water bodies can be easily tackled with the existing regulations already in place. (5) Regulation of ground water extraction: A purely administrative matter, the distribution of precious ground water has to be controlled; the flourishing water mafia needs to be banned. (6) Lateritic plateaus rich in biodiversity are to be recognised: Not only hill tops, but biodiversity in general needs urgent attention. The INC manifesto has to reconsider flora and fauna on priority. (7) Tree plantation drive along highways and State roads to create green tunnels: An excellent initiative from a global warming perspective is imperative. An aggressive plantation of evergreen species along highways, creation of urban forests, parks and gardens is the need of the hour. Interestingly, the MoEF has issued a draft notification on ‘Building construction environment management regulations 2022, on February 28, 2022. For large projects, the draft laws seek a minimum of one tree for every 80 square metres of land.
The INC has a distinct advantage over the BJP from an environmental perspective. But without a genuine political will, the objectives of a manifesto cannot be achieved. The IPCC 2021 report has signalled a “code red” for the human race; the projections of an international panel ought to have been considered. The ecologically sensitive natural systems of Goa, the wetlands and biodiversity in particular, and the ecosystem services are critical for human welfare. The impact of human actions on natural landscape and biodiversity is rarely examined. The political affiliations notwithstanding, conservation of natural ecosystems ought to be assigned the highest priority to fulfill climate neutrality.
(Dr Antonio Mascarenhas is a former Scientist, NIO, Goa)
