Govt plan to acquire land at Cutbona jetty runs into troubled waters

MARGAO, JUNE 29
Plans by the Fisheries Department to acquire land admeasuring 30,000 square meters at the Cutbona fishing jetty has run into troubled waters.
Velim villagers have slammed the Department for pushing the land acquisition proposal sans transparency and without preparing a project report, feasibility report and the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
What has fuelled deep suspicions amongst the villagers if the contradictory statement made by the Land acquisition officer and the Director of Fisheries over the exact purpose behind acquiring the huge land.
Fisheries Director S C Verencar, in his letter to the Panchayat, has claimed the land acquisition is for the purpose of creating additional facilities such as an ice plant, cold storage, net mending shed, auction shed, parking facility, workshop and other related activities at the fishing jetty.
On the other hand, Land Acquisition Officer Agnelo Fernandes has stated the land in question will be acquired for a fish meal plant.
Says the Convenor of Velim Civic and Consumer Forum, Romana Almeida: “The letters received by the Velim panchayat from the Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition and the Director of Fisheries clearly shows the discrepancy in the purpose for which the land was to be acquired”.
What has further agitated the villagers was the cancellation of a joint meeting with the Director of Fisheries, Land Acquisition Officer and the Panchayat at the eleventh hour on June 25, raising suspicions that the government authorities were deliberately keeping the villagers in the dark over the project.
Incidentally, the Velim Village Panchayat, besides the gram sabha has already opposed the acquisition of the farming land for the construction of a fish meal plant and other infrastructure at the Cutbona. At the monthly meeting, the Velim Panchayat has asserted that if the fish meal plant is constructed and operated at the jetty, then rotten fish smell will pollute the environment, which will create health hazards to the residents.
The Velim Communidade too has lodged its objections to the project, while the Velim Civic and Consumer Forum has submitted a 24-point memo objecting to the land acquisition proposals.
Ramona says the villagers have objected to the proposal since the government intends to acquire the land without even mentioning the specific purpose and details of the project.
That’s not all. A letter written by the Director of Fisheries to the Panchayat body clearly states that the department is acquiring the land without even conducting the basic Environment Impact Assessment report. On this question, the Fisheries Director has assured the Panchayat that the project will be developed only after the EIA and other aspects of the environment are taken care of.