MARGAO: Rejecting the draft Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMP) sent by the government, Loutolim and Chinchinim Deussua villagers on Sunday slammed the government for effecting “no changes” in the draft despite sending their suggestions.
The locals at the Loutolim gram sabha, which was attended by around 170 villagers, claimed that the present draft sent to them has the earlier pages shown on one page.
Explaining the plan sent by the government, Village Development Committee chairman Ramiro Mascarenhas said the second plan showed the ground reality based on Google Maps, which had all details marked including the names of Kator or the fishing areas, names of khazans and sluice gates. Finally, a third map was shown which would be sent to the government. When the villagers pointed out to some discrepancies it was decided to invite suggestions till October 4 following which the plan would be sent to the government.
Sarpanch Filipina Fernandes assured the people that the plan would be kept open for public scrutiny till October 4 in the panchayat hall and the map would be explained to the people.
The villagers have shown 20 sluice gates which the government failed to mark. Besides they have shown the fishing areas especially the ones where nets are fixed to poles buried in the river. Oysters and clams harvesting areas have also been shown in the villagers’ plan. Three fields that were shown to have mangroves have been marked as fields so that they could be cultivated in future.
The villagers demanded that the names of the people whose houses have been marked in the CRZ be mentioned in the plan along with the plot survey numbers. They claimed that at Rassaim many houses are practically on the river bank and need to be protected.
The panchayat was asked to write to the Captain of Ports not to issue anymore permission to use riverine land as the licence has been abused by erecting concrete embankments.
Meanwhile, at Chinchinim Deussua, the villagers were furious over the government’s failure to honour its promise of deputing a person to explain to them the plan and further claimed that there were no changes in the plan except what was earlier shown in four pages has now been presented on one page.
No sluice gates have been shown in the plan submitted by the government as the villagers’ plan prepared with the help of Chowgule College students shows six sluice gates and all water bodies including the fish breeding areas.
