Team Herald
CANACONA: Close on the heels of Pernem locals boycotting the consultation meeting to suggest changes in the draft of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) in current form, locals from all the panchayats in Canacona taluka affected by coastal regulations and from the lone municipality boycotted the consultation held on Saturday at Chaudi.
The consultation meeting, chaired by Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral, was attended by Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes, Canacona Municipal chairman Nitu Desai, Agonda sarpanch Abel Borges, Cola sarpanch Purna Niaque, councillor Hemant Naikgaonkar and around 50 concerned residents.
A huge crowd numbering over 500 gathered at the entrance of the meeting venue. However, before the meeting, they protested vociferously against the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and demanded that it be scrapped.
As there were only few people inside the municipal hall, local MLA Isidore Fernandes requested the environment minister to address the agitators.
Despite his efforts to get the stakeholders for the presentation and thereafter for deliberations, all of them stood their ground and started shouting slogans demanding the scrapping of CZMP in current form and demanded that new plans be drafted by taking the locals, elected representatives and NGOs on board.
During the power point presentation, which witnessed a low attendance, it was explained how the draft of CZMP was arrived at and what consists of CRZ areas.
The environment minister said the taluka level exercise is part of the rectification that is required in the draft CZMP and they would go to the panchayat level at a later stage so that everyone affected by the CRZ regulations is heard before finalising the plans.
MLA Isidore Fernandes said the ministry concerned has to go to the locals at micro level, draft the CZMP and then before finalising it again, take suggestions or objections if any, from the stakeholders. “I am with my constituents,” Fernandes said.
While most locals voluntarily stayed away from the meeting, a few elected representatives of local bodies said they wanted to hear and take part in the presentation but due to a huge crowd present on the hall staircase they couldn’t get in.
The protesters said they would not allow the draft CZMP in the current form and want it to be scrapped altogether and demanded that a new CZMP draft.
