Following his high-profile visit to New Delhi, Chief Minister Pra mod Sawant on Thursday announced the State gov ernment has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider relaxations in noise pollution norms af fecting destination wed dings in Goa as well as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) restrictions linked to sand extraction while also discussing a range of pending infrastructure, transport and healthcare projects. Speaking to media persons in Panjim about his meetings with the Prime Minister and Union ministers in Delhi, Sawant said the Goa govern ment has sought changes to existing noise pollution rules in specially designated en tertainment zones to ensure that the State does not lose out on destination wedding tourism.
Sawant said he informed the Prime Minister that several tourists who earli er preferred Goa for desti nation weddings are now shifting to foreign coun tries because of the present restrictions linked to beach weddings and entertain ment activities. “We informed the Prime Minister that many tourists who earlier preferred Goa for destination weddings are now shifting to foreign destinations because of the restrictions. We have requested suitable relaxa tions in designated enter tainment zones while en suring local residents are not disturbed,” he said. According to the CM, the Prime Minister’s Office has directed the Union Minis try of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to ex amine the matter and ex plore possible solutions.
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Relaxation of sound restrictions for tourism and wed ding-related events has been a long-standing demand from sections of Goa’s tourism, hospitality and entertainment industry, which have argued that stringent norms are af fecting destination weddings and late-evening events in the State. Sawant said the issue was not limited to tourism alone, but also affected local employment and businesses linked to the wedding and events sector. The chief minister also said he raised concerns related to CRZ regulations affecting sand extraction in Goa and other coastal States. The chief minister said the present restrictions have cre ated difficulties in sourcing sand for construction activities despite large quantities being available locally.
According to Sawant, builders and authorities are at times forced to depend on imported sand from countries such as Malaysia or adopt alternative mechanisms because of existing CRZ norms. He said Goa continued to face difficulties in meeting con struction-sector demand despite large quantities of sand being available locally. Sawant pointed out that even sand extracted during de silting operations carried out to maintain navigation routes cannot presently be utilised and instead has to be dumped back into the sea due to regulatory restrictions. Sawant said the issue was affecting several coastal states, including Goa.
On the political front, the chief minister said the vacant cabinet berth created following the demise of Ponda MLA and Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik is likely to be filled “very soon”. Sawant said the State government is awaiting the re quired permissions before proceeding with the appoint ment to the cabinet. “Once the process is completed, the media will be in formed first,” he said. He said the new Captain of Ports building is likely to be inaugurated on June 8 by Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Sawant added that the Union Minister has assured the State government that the Goa Water Metro proposal sub mitted through the River Navigation Department would be expedited by the Centre. The proposed Water Metro network is being seen as a long-term transport initiative aimed at improving river connectivity and easing pressure on Goa’s road network. Sawant said nearly 50,000 commuters use ferry servic es across Goa every day and the State government aims to strengthen water-based transport infrastructure with Cen tral support.
The project has been modelled along the lines of the Kochi Water Metro system and is expected to boost public transport and tourism-related connectivity in the State. Sawant said he met Union Labour and Employment Min ister Mansukh Mandaviya and sought expediting of the proposed Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) hospital and medical college project at Margao. According to the CM, the Union Minister assured him that the commissioning process of the project would be fast-tracked. The proposed project has been under discussion for sev eral years as part of efforts to strengthen tertiary health care and medical education infrastructure in South Goa. Sawant also indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Goa in September or October for inau guration and foundation stone-laying ceremonies linked to several developmental projects. Sawant said several development projects are expected to be taken up for inauguration and foundation stone-lay ing during the proposed visit. He added that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also been invited to Goa for the inauguration of the BJP office.
