Team Herald
PANJIM/MAPUSA: The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) presentations in Panjim for Tiswadi taluka had to be wound up abruptly as Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) officials failed to answer the queries of the people regarding their villages.
Hundreds of locals from the villages of Tiswadi gathered at Sanskriti Bhavan to ensure that their grievances are heard and know the village maps as drawn by GCZMA. However, soon after the presentation by GCZMA member secretary Sanjeev Joglekar, he was unable to respond to people’s queries over the maps and the marking of their villages.
People then as a mark of protest boycotted the rest of the presentation as they claimed that their attendance would be used to safeguard the government before the concerned authorities and the judiciary that the government had fulfilled its task of presenting the CZMP to the people.
Leading the attack on the government, RTI activist Kashinath Shetye questioned why overlapping areas have not been taken into consideration while preparing the CZMP.
A resident of Divar questioned whether there was any validation to the objections and suggestions being made by the public during the presentations. “Miramar, Caranzalem, Dona Paula and beyond are all fishing villages and there are no markings and the purpose seems to be to kill the fishermen. The world famous Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary too has not been marked and this shows that there is some agenda of the government as a pontoon has been marked and shown as a shipyard,” he alleged.
He further said that seashell breeding sites, which have to be protected as they provide livelihood to the locals, otters, salt pans, heritage sites, sluice gates and khazan land amongst various others things have not been marked.
Sanjay, a fisherman from the Nauxi village, stated that the villagers have been studying the maps published by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). “However, no fishermen from Nauxi, Siridao, St Jacinto Island or Chicalim have been showed in the plan. Do you even have the list of the eco sensitive species present in the River Zuari?” he questioned.
When a woman from St Estevam asked for the map of the village, Joglekar said that he did not get the maps along. She alleged that as per the notified draft CZMP, the village of St Estevam did not exist as it has not been marked except for the boundary line.
Vijay Kirloskar, president of Kshatriya Kharvi Samaj alleged that the government under pressure is trying to destroy the indigenous vocations and trades of Goans. “Estuaries are an important ecological part of the State, which you have not marked. There are more than 700 sluice gates which have not been marked and all of these provide employment for the locals who have been carrying out fishing as their family occupation for generations,” he stated.
Rama Kankonkar alleged that the government has spent Rs 2 crore since 2016 while the CZMP prepared by the authorities is 90 per cent wrong and flawed.
Joglekar, however, trying to calm the situation said that Saturday’s presentation was only about the provisions of the Coastal Regulatory Zones (CRZ) notification of 2011. He added that the government has already taken a decision to ask the locals to prepare their village level plans.
“The village level plans will then be incorporated together and a draft plan will be prepared which will subsequently be placed for a public hearing and then a final plan will be drawn. The dates have not been finalised and once the dates are finalised the teams will be formed to go to the villages,” he said.
Not against Cabral: Bardez
Environ Minister Nilesh Cabral was booed by the people at most of the presentations of the CZMP across talukas and at some places he needed police protection to leave the venue.
On Saturday, the people of Bardez unanimously pointed out that they are not angry with Cabral as a person but with the government and Environment Minister.
During the on-going discussion post presentation, the Congress spokesperson, Amarnath Panjikar clarified with the Minister that the people of Bardez and Goa are not angry with him but with the CZMP disastrous plan and the government.
“Why are you having these presentations at the taluka level why not village wise? This is a plan which needs to be prepared taking all stakeholders into confidence. We want a good plan that is prepared by the Goans. People are booing you, saying things because they are angry on this government, the Environment Minister and not on Nilesh Cabral. The previous environment minister was inefficient, ineffective and did not do his job properly. Right now we demand that this plan be scrapped and process stopped,” said Panjikar.
In reply, the Environment Minister, Nilesh Cabral said that he was happy to hear that and his conscience was now clear. He pointed out that the aim of the presentation was solely to explain the 2011 notification to the people so every village can prepare their plans and give to the department of environment. “We will make fresh plans, send it to the village to check and if scientifically correct it will go to the CRZ authority. They will send it to National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) stating that their plan is wrong and ask for changes to be made. CRZ authority will then have a public hearing. We will pay NCSCM only after we are satisfied with the plan prepared by them. I am totally with the people and together we can come out with a good plan,” told Cabral.
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Env Min skips presentation
Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral skipped the CZMP presentation for Tiswadi taluka and reached the venue when nearly all the villagers had left the hall with only a handful of villagers still around.
Speaking to the media he said, “The same people are objecting to the presentations where I have been and therefore I see that there is an attempt to give this a political colour. The representatives of GCZMA cannot answer the political questions and these can be answered only by those who take political decisions, the law makers,” he stated.
He reiterated that the meetings were a presentation and not a hearing.
