Team Herald
PANJIM: In a major move, the State government has unceremoniously shunted out Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) member secretary Dr Nitin Sawant, under whom the Board had strongly opposed the government’s ambitious Rs 400 crore marina projects.
The Board, headed by the new Environment Minister Rajendra Arlekar, was reconstituted on December 14. The Board has no representatives from the Directorate of Science and Technology and the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), as it had earlier.
Herald, in its July 26th edition, had reported about the moves to ease out Dr Sawant, who has now been replaced by environmental consultant Pradip Sarmokadam as new member secretary on the 11-member GSBB. The new board will also have environment enthusiast – Indian Bird Conservation Network Goa Co-ordinator Parag Ranganekar and ecologist Nirmal Kulkarni as expert members.
GSBB, in the recent past had not been toeing the government line, especially following its continuous objection to the two marina projects – at Sancoale by Yacht Haven Goa Marina and at Nauxi by Kargwal Marina. Both the projects were ‘in principle’ granted approval by Goa Investment Promotion Board chaired by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
Former Environment Minister Alina Saldanha as well Dr Sawant had strongly objected to the marinas. The Board had even in principle decided to declare Sancoale a bio-diversity Heritage Site to curtail non-environment friendly projects. The new board has been constituted under Section 22 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (Central Act No. 18 of 2003), for a period of three years.
The 11-member board will continue with Dr Antonio Mascarenhas and Dr Bhiva Malik as its expert members. Other members of the board are the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Engineer Water Resources Department, directors of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry. The Board’s functions are to advice the government, on matters relating to conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of it components.
and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of biological resources.
The board will regulate grant of approvals or otherwise, requests for commercial utilization or bio-survey and bio utilisation of any biological resource by Indians.
