MARGAO: Citizens of Goa, an NGO has strongly objected to the venue and date for the CZMP hearing in South Goa on July 8 and urged the South Goa District Collector to postpone the hearing to a later date after the monsoons.
The NGO said July and August are peak monsoon months besides the State is also experiencing erratic weather conditions due to climate change and commuting would be difficult for people from faraway places to the venue.
“We find it highly inappropriate to have a public hearing in the SGPDA market parking area during the pandemic times. Our State has seen the worst of the pandemic recently and the cases are still a great cause of concern as there are around 4400 active cases at this moment and with around 10 deaths and around 350 new cases every day”, the NGO said.
Further it said the government has also anticipated the upcoming 3rd wave and therefore we urge you to reconsider the venue as it is in a densely crowded place with shoppers from different parts of Goa.
“High contamination is a threat to the public coming for the CZMP hearing as well as the shoppers as it’s already proved that these areas have served as hotspots for the pandemic”, it further stated.
“We do understand that the NGT order states that the hearing should be done by August 31, 2021 but we trust that you will keep the health interest and safety of the people first and act accordingly”, it said.

