Team Herald
PANJIM: Congress has demanded that the State government take the local bodies into confidence before putting across Goa’s case before the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) on the draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, which has proposed to reduce the CRZ area to 50 meters from High Tide Line (HTL) from the current 200 meters.
Addressing media persons, Congress President Girish Chodankar said, “Sitting in New Delhi one cannot frame guidelines for Goa, without studying the ground reality. We demand that the State government take local bodies like panchayats, municipalities and the stakeholders, including fishing community, into confidence and make a representation to the Centre. State should highlight the Goa centric needs,” Chodankar said.
“Reduction of CRZ limit from 200 meters to 50 meters will have devastating impact on the fishing community. The curtailment of CRZ border will have restrictions on free access to beaches. More so, it will also have an impact on the local tourism industry,” the Congress president said.
The party, however, was not clear whether it wants withdrawal of CRZ notification in full or certain provisions of it.
Speaking on the international airport at Mopa, Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte questioned the investment by GMR Airport. “As per the agreement, the actual cost of construction is shown as Rs 3000 crore, however, while seeking a loan from the bank, the figures are shown as Rs 1500 crore. What exactly is this?” he questioned.
Also, there is no clarity on jobs and the kinds of jobs the company is going to offer to the people of Goa, the local MLA said. “I am going to raise these issues on the floor of the House during the monsoon session,” Sopte said.
