Team Herald
VASCO: A special gram sabha was held on Sunday at Quelossim to prepare the Coastal Zone Management Plan.
Earlier, a special gram sabha held on the 14th of last month had unanimously rejected the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan prepared by National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) as erroneous.
The gram sabha received a good response from the villagers who participated in the exercise by giving their suggestions to prepare a plan. After listing down all the errors in the original draft plan prepared by NCSCM, the people set about mapping various attributes existing in the village.
The gram sabha assisted by Capt Viriato Fernandes of Goencho Avaaz. The villagers mapped various khazans, agricultural fields, mangroves, fish breeding areas, mud flats, etc.
Some gram sabha members strongly objected to the illegal ship repair and building yards existing along the coast of Quelossim. They alleged that these yards were responsible for polluting the waters and destroying the fish habitat.
Other others alleged non-Goan businessmen destroyed the khazans in the village constructing projects for commercial benefits. The villagers vowed to protect the khazans from destruction and preserve the same for future generations.
The gram sabha decided to submit the draft CZMP prepared by the villagers to the government for onward submission to MOEF&CC and await the return of the same for final review before being notified.
