PANJIM: The Environmental Clearance process to Leading Hotels Pvt Ltd, for the Golf Course and Resort Villas project, spread over 9.90 lakh square meters, is throwing up more surprises and even more suspicions.
Reacting to Herald’s stories on December 4 and 5, the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) Dr Mohan Girap released two documents to Herald, which were the basis of recommending the grant of EC to the project. The second of those is a detailed note mentioning crucial observations made by the members of the SEAC during a site visit to Tiracol on March 8. The note records serious questions made by the SEAC members for which clarifications were sought from the project proponents (Leading Hotels).
SEAC members who attended the site inspection, all academics and domain experts, were Dr Savita Kerker, Mrs Anita Barreto, Dr Purnanand Savoikar, Prof Jaime Afonso and Dr Mohan Girap.
Yet the note date April 10, just 2 days before the EC was granted concludes as follows:
“Based on the (a) submission of compliance received from M/s Leading Hotels Pvt Ltd, Panaji dated 14th March 2013 in response to SEAC’s queries sought as per the discussions held during the meeting conducted on 4th February 2013 as well as (b) submission of compliance dated 9th April 2013 in response to observations made during the site inspection conducted on 8th March 2013, Goa-SEAC decided to recommend the project proposal to Goa-SEIAA for a suitable consideration as per the EIA Notification.”
As mentioned in our previous reports the SEIAA State Environment Impact Assessment Authority is a higher body which finally grants the EC.
Now mark the dates. On February 4, a Special Meeting of the SEAC was held to discuss the project which was attended by 7 members. Since many of the questions raised about the project were awaiting compliance, the SEAC decided to conduct a joint site inspection on March 8. The note of April 10 above is titled “Project / site-specific observation along with summary discussion and recommendations subsequent to site-inspection of project area at Tirakhol conducted by Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (Goa-SEAC) on 8th March 2013.”
Now here comes the catch. What you may miss in this cleverly worded title is that these are not minutes of any formal meeting of the SEAC post the site inspection. It is signed by Dr S P Fondekar, Chairman, Goa-SEAC and Dr Mohan Girap, Secretary. This note has not been made public and none of the other members of the SEAC who went on the site inspection or were present for the February 4 meeting.
This is a fact. Except the Chairman and Secretary, not one of the members of SEAC were party to the April 10 note to the SEIAA which cleared the Tiracol Golf Course project – the very note which included some of the concerns raised by them, which were never addressed. Herald has outlined them in a separate box to highlight them.
But first some tough questions and weak answers:
Herald to Dr Mohan Girap: Was this a formal meeting and was this note sent and signed off by all SEAC members?
Dr Girap: I think an email may have been sent. But they were all there for the site inspection.
Herald: But this note was dated April 10 after the site inspection. And this recommends the projects to a higher body which clears it in 48 hours. Was it sent to SEAC members?
Dr Girap: Now you are playing with words. I don’t remember exactly, but they were there for the site inspection.
When Savita Kerker, a member of the Committee, who confirmed in our previous report that the SEAC members did not meet post March 8, was shown the April 10 note by Herald on Friday morning. She said “I haven’t received this. I was told informally during a meeting of the pollution control board that “higher authorities have cleared the project.”
Another member who did not want to be identified told Herald over telephone. “You have carried out your investigations. You have documents to show only two people signing the April 10 note. There was no meeting of the SEAC to clear this note. Isn’t that proof that all the members did not get it. Our signatures would have been there.”
Irrespective of any explanation given by the proponents who have cleared the way for this projects and given their consent to establish, do they have an answer as to why this project was cleared in such a manner by keeping the very members of the Expert Appraisal Committee in the dark. And then the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) which issued the grant of EC says “We went by the recommendations of the SEAC.”
These untruths need to be exposed. And that is what we have done.
