Anger is mounting in Morjim as villagers accuse the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) of illegally flattening protected sand dunes at Morjim beach — an officially declared turtle nesting site — for a proposed parking lot. Locals are threatening mass protests if the work is not stopped immediately.
“Morjimkars cannot be taken lightly. If need be, we will show our strength to preserve the turtle nesting site that has been part of our heritage for years. It is a shame that the government thinks it can roll over a nesting site. We have got together before and will do it now,” fumed retired Captain Gerald Fernandes, Morjim resident and the first recipient of the Wildlife Conservation Award, instituted by the State government.
Two cranes were seen razing sand dunes earlier this week — structures that have long served as vital nesting grounds for the Olive Ridley turtle. Fernandes is furious that “the government wants to build a parking lot at the cost of not only destroying the sand dunes but disturbing the ecology of the turtle nesting site.”
Environmental concerns about Morjim beach are not new. Back in 2000, Antonio Mascarenhas, former Director of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), had emphasised in a 58-page scientific journal that “the sand dunes in Morjim were undisturbed.”
According to the minutes of the 447th meeting of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) held on April 29, 2025 (Case No 3.16), the GTDC had applied for an NOC for the “proposed beautification and providing basic amenities at Morjim beach promenade.” The proposal includes a boardwalk and pavement located 50 to 95 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL), falling within the CRZ III (NDZ) zone as per CZMP 2011.
However, nowhere in the GTDC’s application is there mention of a parking lot, said Valerian Richard Fernandes. “Never in their application to the GCZMA has the GTDC stated that they want to build a parking lot in an area declared as a turtle nesting site where no development is possible.”
The GCZMA minutes acknowledge the presence of sand dunes and beach vegetation but omit details of their height and ecological function. “As per the submitted proposal, the structures and beautification work falls beyond the sand dune area,” states the document. The revised plan was approved in the GCZMA’s 431st meeting held on February 11, 2025.
But locals aren’t buying it. “Tourists from all over the world recognise Morjim beach as a turtle nesting site where no development can be held. Shacks cannot use bright lights after sunset and now the government wants to build a parking lot in a declared turtle nesting site. Do they expect people to use a parking lot with no lights?” questioned DevendraPrabhudessai, a resident.
On-site, villagers watched in disbelief as bulldozers razed dunes. Many were baffled how permission could have been granted in such an ecologically fragile zone.
“The Panchayat granted permission for a parking lot and changing rooms based on the permission they got from the GCZMA,” Morjim Sarpanch PavanMorje confirmed. “If this body gave them permission, we felt bound to follow,” he said.
However, Morje claimed ignorance about the destruction of sand dunes: “I did not know that they were going to cut the sand dunes. We have not given such permission. Since they claimed that they had permission from GCZMA, we gave our permission as GCZMA is the final authority.”
Repeated attempts to reach GTDC Managing Director Kuldeep Singh were unsuccessful. He replied via SMS asking to be texted on WhatsApp, but had not responded as of press time to a query asking if the GTDC had permission for work at the turtle nesting site.
“Being fully aware that no construction can take place at a turtle nesting site, the GTDC hid it from the authorities. This shows how much the government cares for Olive Ridley turtles we are trying to conserve,” concluded Albert Fernandes, another concerned resident.
The villagers have warned that unless immediate action is taken to halt the destruction, they will resort to mass agitation to protect the ecological heritage of Morjim.