Team Herald
MARGAO: The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and asserted that the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) should include the fish breeding zones.
In a message to the Central and State governments, NFF General Secretary Olencio Simoes questioned the intention of approving the CRZ-2019 notification, which he said does away with the 50 metres-CRZ line.
“The government today approved the CRZ notification that we did not ask for. The government is also trying to give a lollipop to the fishermen saying their traditional houses can be made commercial and opened up for tourism activities. On the other side, the fishing villages that were already identified and demarcated are being removed,” said Simoes.
“The government has further said they are omitting fish breeding zones from the CZMP as there is no scientific data. Have they consulted the fishermen who can show them where these breeding zones exist?” Simoes questioned.
The NFF general secretary also alleged that the reason behind the new CRZ notification is to ensure that the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) gets even more control over the beaches and the sea.
“As it is, the MPA claims that 45 metres from the high tide line belongs to them. This decision will be very bad for the fishermen who will come on the streets to protest,” Simoes added.
He also questioned how many fishermen have the finances to convert their homes into hotels. “Given the present high levels of sand erosion, in the next ten years, the beaches will be destroyed and there won’t be any space for tourism either,” he said.
