VASCO: Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) on Friday demanded withdrawal of Blue Flag certification given to Miramar Estuarine beach and to rectify the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and declare Aivao to Miramar Estuary as fishing breeding zones upto two nautical miles and declare the entire beach stretch as fishing village.
A memorandum containing these demands was submitted by GRE to Panjim Municipal Commissioner Rodrigues and Panjim MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, on Friday.
In a press release, GRE said that the municipal commissioner noted down the suggestion given by local fishermen of Caranzalem and promised to forward the same to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority and MoEF.
According to the press note, the ramponkars need the entire waterfront/seashore right from Miramar to Aivao to cast their nets to go for fishing, but the Blue Flag certification will displace the traditional fishermen of Caranzalem and Miramar. The entire beach stretch is almost 3.7 km and is used as landing point for fishing canoes, nets, drying etc.
“The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has identified Miramar beach for Blue Flag certification and has given liberty to construct 12 structures and facilities within just 10 meters of high tide line (HTL) which is completely unacceptable as this areas are landing points for our canoe,” the GRE press note said.
GRE Secretary Olencio Simoes stated that as Blue Flag certification is not meant for Goa or India, as India has the best law in the world which is enacted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 called the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), which protect the health of beaches, rivers, water bodies, ground water and all other coastal ecology with intension to conserve and protects coastal stretches, its unique environment and its marine area and to promote development through sustainable manner.
“But instead of implementing this notification in totality, this government plans to further dilute the notification by implementing Blue Flag certification and thereby amending the CRZ notification and reducing the No development Zone to mere 10 metres,” Simoes claimed.
“What way is the use of building facilities to keep the beach clean, if the entire beach itself vanishs?” Simoes questioned.
“If the government is really concerned about our beaches, then, they should only strengthen the CRZ rather dilute it,” Simoes said.
