Team Herald
VASCO: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), through the office of Mormugao Mamlatdar on Tuesday issued demolition notices to 121 structures of fishermen located at Katem Baina.
The notices comedespite Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado’s concrete assurance that the fishermen’s structures at Katem Baina would not be demolished during rains and that he would try his best to rehabilitate the affected community.
The notices signed by GCZMA member secretary Vikas Gaunekar direct all the concerned parties to demolish their “illegal” structures along Baina beach on their own within 15 days, failing which the Mormugao Deputy Collector would remove the structures thereafter and would recover the expenses incurred from the concerned parties.
According to the information, the GCZMA in its final demolition notices issued to 121 parties having their structures at Katem Baina, has mentioned that Mormugao Mamlatdar had conducted a survey with respect to the structures existing on the Baina beach within the NDZ area under CRZ and had filed a checklist containing particulars of 121 structures along with the names of the violators. Thereafter, the GCZMA in its 124th and 127th meetings held on January 18 and April 29, this year, had discussed the issue of illegal hutments located partly in government land and private land at Baina near sewage treatment plant. It was opined that the these structures in the No Development Zone on Baina beach are not permissible and had issued a show cause notice under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act,1986 and under Rule 4.
The parities were directed to file reply along with requisite documents pertaining to their structures. In response to the said notice, the parties claimed to belong to traditional fishermen community protected under the CRZ notification 1991/2011. As the parties failed to submit any documents pertaining to the construction/repairs/renovation/reconstruction licence of their respective structures for the period prior to 1991, the GCZMA authorities decided to issue directions under section 5 of the Environment Protection Act with the directions to demolish their illegal structures and to restore the land to its original state within 15 days time, failing which the Mormugao Deputy Collector would remove the structures within two weeks and would recover the expenses incurred from the concerned parties.
Resentment among fishermen
VASCO: There was resentment among fishermen community of Katem Baina, Vasco who were completely shocked after receiving the GCZMA notice to raze their structures.
The aggrieved residents said they were a bit relaxed as Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado had assured publicly that he would not allow demolition of their structures during rains and would also try to get rehabilitation package for them.
The residents claimed that if the state authorities had such tactics in mind then they should have not issued any notices. They should have come with a demolition squad to prove their brutal intentions.
“We are under immense tension following the notice. To find rented premises and shift in 15 days is not possible. Similarly, rented premises rates are very high at Baina, which is unaffordable. Our children’s have school exams, we have recently stopped our fishing operations and the pressure of demolition notice is unbearable.
It would have been better that state administration had sent a packet of poison along with notice so that their issues would have been resolved completely,” aggrieved Baina residents told Herald.
