Bowing to sustained opposition from Chimbel villagers, the Goa government on Wednesday announced that it has decided to shift the proposed Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh projects from Chimbel to an alternative site, citing public sentiments.
In a statement, the Tourism Department said that although the project site falls within a settlement zone adjoining the National Highway, the decision to relocate both projects was taken after considering the emotions and concerns of sections of the local population.
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“Although the project site is in a settlement zone adjoining the National Highway, upon considering the sentiments and emotions of some of the villagers, it has been decided to shift the location of both the government projects to a different site,” the statement said.
The decision follows a meeting between Chimbel villagers and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on January 21, during which the Chief Minister directed authorities to conduct a comprehensive mapping of the Toyyar lake wetland and its zone of influence.
Accordingly, a detailed survey was carried out from January 23 to January 28, in the presence of village representatives, their expert members, advocate, hydrologist and architect, along with officials from CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), the State Wetland Authority, the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records (DSLR) and the Tourism Department.
The department said extensive ground-truthing was undertaken to demarcate the catchment area, drainage lines, surface and sub-surface water flows, vegetation cover, agricultural land and natural springs, based on suggestions made by villagers. The survey team traversed the entire catchment boundary, mapping water sources, drainage channels, inlet points, high and low water lines, and the earthen bund of the lake. High-definition drones were also used to study land contours.
Upon completion, the draft survey report along with detailed maps was shared with villagers and their advocate. The survey concluded that the proposed sites for the Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh lie outside the zone of influence of the Toyyar wetland, as well as the catchment area mapped by experts engaged by the villagers.
