MARGAO: Criticising the manner in which the government has been supporting the proposed Nauxim AHOY Marina project in River Zuari, the All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union in a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the other authorities concerned has demanded that the government immediately withdraw its support as the project will harm the Zuari River and also have a negative impact on the fisheries activities.
“We wish to draw your attention urgently to the fact that the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the declared that Nauxim Marina will create negative long term irreversible impact on Zuari River fisheries,” said Union President Shaila D’Mello and Union Secretary Laximan Mangueshkar in the letter, while referring to how the CM himself was advocating for the marina. They demanded that the CM retract his support to the Marina project at Nauxim before it is too late. The Union stressed that there would be a hugely negative impact if the Marina project becomes a reality, which would not only harm the Zuari’s River fisheries activities but also harm the Zuari River.
“The impact will be long term. Harm caused to fisheries will be long lasting. It is not short-term harm. The impact will be irreversible. It will never be possible to undo the harm caused. That means Zuari river fishery will be forever destroyed,” the Union leaders said. “If in spite of all the above points you still support AHOY Marina project then undoubtedly you are leading the State of Goa’s fishery towards suicide and not the accidental death.
This is so because project proponents through their draft EIA themselves
have declared doom of the Zuari River fishery,” they added. They claimed that the lease deeds for both the Marinas at Nauxim and Sancoale has ensured safely only of the barges navigating in Zuari River.
“Both the lease deeds have not even acknowledged the existence of fishing canoes in Zuari River. So on record Marinas at Nauxim and Sancoale are a strategy to destroy the robust Zuari river fishery,” the Union added.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Ministers, Secretaries and senior officials of the Fisheries , Revenue and Environment Departments as well the local panchayats and MLAs.
