ASSOLNA: Assolna villagers have demanded that the public hearing on the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) scheduled on March 7 at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao be cancelled.
Supporting the villagers, sarpanch Xavier Almeida said, “The hearing be rescheduled and held at the panchayat level so that there is a detailed understanding of the proposed plan with inputs/objections/suggestions received from the stakeholders and affected individuals. And if required, even a site inspection be undertaken for clarity on the proposed plan.”
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During the special meeting held on Saturday (February 270 to discuss and deliberate on the draft CZMP, the villagers passed an unanimous resolution re-drafting the eco-sensitive village buffer zone and mangroves, rejecting the port at Betul and the authority of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in River Sal and its adjoining areas, demarcating each of the coastal structures including places of worship, residential houses, etc, and authenticating the panchayat prepared CZMP of October 4, 2019. The other resolutions against granting more permission for any use of the riverine land and cancelling the public hearing scheduled on March 7 were also passed.
“Since the villagers are very environment conscious and are also concerned towards preserving the water bodies and fragile ecosystems (shellfish breeding and fish breeding areas, which have not been mentioned in the new plan of the village,” said Xavier.
