GSPCB holds environment public hearing despite opposition from locals

Team Herald
VASCO: Despite strong objections from the residents of Sancoale, Chicalim and environment activists, Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) went ahead with its environment public hearing at Jai Kissan Club Hall, Zuarinagar on Monday.
The hearing was called for proposed 30 THP Fertilizer blending unit for customized NPK production at the existing facility at Zuarinagar, Goa by M/S Zuari Agro Chemicals. At the meeting, the villagers alleged that the GSPCB authorities purposely kept them in dark by not intimating them about the hearing and as such only a few selected people could attend the hearing. They demanded that the hearing be postponed to some other date.
However, the proposal was turned down by the presiding officer Johnson Fernandes on the grounds that GSPCB had completed all formalities and there was no need to postpone the same. He, however, informed them that they can submit their written objections which would be taken into consideration.
Adv Savio Correia along with the president of Vidyanagar Residents’ Welfare Association Edward Fernandes, Administrator of Umiya Habitat Residents’ Welfare Coop Society Manoj Naik, spokesperson of CVAC Rui Araujo and others rushed to the venue with their written submission and requested Johnson Fernandes that there was inadequate compliance with the public hearing publicity requirements, mandated under EIA notification 2006.
They claimed that the purpose for such EIA hearing is to give voice to the people. However, as only 10 villagers were present, the same should be held only after giving wide publicity and on holiday instead of working day. However, all these demands were turned down and the hearing began with the presentation by a ZACL appointed consultant. The villagers finally decided to walk out of the meeting but later changed their decision so as to raise their queries during the session.
The ZACL consultant explained that the proposed expansion would be taken up within the existing facility of ZACL and it has been planned to discard old machineries and methods with new machinery and modern technology that would reduce environmental pollution and increase production using few resources. They assured that the proposed modernization was required as the technology that ZACL has been using is old.
During the session, Adv Savio Correia pointed out major contradictions in EIA report including CRZ, private forest, wetlands, biodiversity heritage sites, impact on traffic etc. Former MLA Simon D’Souza grilled the ZACL for doing nothing for the village through CSR and later accused it for polluting the environment in Sancoale. Edward Fernandes raised the pollution issue due to release of Ammonia into the air by ZACL and sought an assurance from ZACL that it would initiate measures to contain the same.
Environmentalist Terence George pointed out loopholes in the EIA report. The ZACL consultant patiently replied to people’s queries.
Johnson Fernandes informed that the report on the public hearing would be sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) who will give its final decision on the project. He said that he would keep the file open for public submission for seven days and later submit the same to MoEF.