Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Against CRZ 2018 (GACRZ) on Wednesday sough to know from where Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar got the data when on the issue of the draft CRZ 2018 notification he claimed that no village panchayat has a density of more than 2161 per sq km due to which 50 metres NDZ is not applicable to the State.
Addressing the media, GARCRZ member Kennedy Afonso said, “We would like to know, how Parrikar has arrived at such a conclusion when there is no population density data prepared in the 2011 census. In the absence of such data, how can Parrikar assume that no village has a density of 2161 per sq km, when we have villages like Calangute and others having a population of 27,000? In the absence of population density data, if we go by the total population of each village, approximately 102 villages have a population of above 2161, and ranging up to 27000. That would make us all eligible for an NDZ of 50 metres.”
He further said that CRZ 2011 notification had directed the State to identify and regularise the houses of the fishing communities by forming a district committee, but this has not been done for the past seven years.
“Then on February 5, 2018 NGT passed an order directing the government to complete the CZMP plans by July 31, 2018. We understand that to date nothing has been done and demand to know why the government in Goa has not yet implemented the order of the NGT. This negligence of the BJP government for the last seven years has deprived the fishing community from getting their houses regularised and reaping other benefits mentioned in CRZ 2011,” he said.
GACRZ has demanded that the government organise a public hearing to discuss the draft notification in the next 10 days.
“Other States of India had organised public hearings to discuss the CZMP and the draft notification, but our government gave it’s the approval without consulting the people of Goa and despite opposition from all sections of society.” Kennedy added
