VASCO: The National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) on Saturday lambasted the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) blaming it for playing with the lives and livelihoods of lakhs of coastal communities across Goa.
The NFF said despite representation, the NCSCM failed to withdraw the port limits and in turn gave complete ownership to Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) to take over 105 kms of coastline up to 12 nautical miles and 256 kms of rivers in Goa.
“After the public hearing got postponed for two times, it was then the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had decided for removal of port limits by its resolution on March 18, 2021 in the 254th meeting but it’s shocking that the NCSCM which is an institute and is not listening to the State department which had hired them by paying Rs 2 crore to complete the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP),” said Olencio Simoes, NFF General Secretary.
Simoes said the Order Number GCZMA/GEN/MISC/13-14/Part-VI/1435 dated March 4, 2021 of the Department of Environment and Climate Change has constituted Fishery Planning Committee for identification of fishermen houses to be included in the “draft plan comprehensive plan for fishermen community living in CRZ areas”, scheduled to be completed within 60 days, but the order GCZMA /GEN/MISC/13-14/part-IV/121 dated June 3, 2021, the Department of Environment and Climate Change has extended the tenure of the committee to September 30, 2021 because of Election Code of Conduct, therefore this committee has not yet completed the process of identifying fishermen houses as per the gazetted order.
“We now warn that if 8,000 fishermen houses across Goa are not surveyed and are included in the draft plan comprehensive plan for fishermen community living in CRZ areas, so that these houses are regularised and the port limits are not withdrawn, then we will drag the Director of NCSCM Ramesh Ramachandra and the Member Secretary of GCZMA to every court. Also the NFF along with 26 affiliated unions in Goa will hit on the street if this matter is not resolved immediately,” warned Simoes.
