AVINASH TAVARES
avinash@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), which is a part of the MoEF, floated a tender recently under the Blue Flag Beach project for Infrastructure Facilities, Pollution Abatement, & Safety/Surveillance Services at Miramar Beach. Interestingly, the Government of India has taken a loan from the World Bank for this and other such projects on beaches across India.
The Rs 9 crore projects includes installation of CCTV surveillance, lifeguard services, mechanised beach cleaning services, installation of bio-toilets, installation of changing rooms, umbrella sitouts, beach beds, kiosks building, a 400m x 2m concrete jogging track, outdoor fitness equipment, bamboo bridge walkway, drinking water and environment kiosks, a 10 cum/day greywater treatment plant and beach beds.
Will the project help Goans and contribute to the Goan Economy? The clubbing of the distinct facilities into a single project along with the stringent criteria for bidders ensures that no Goan firm will have any chance of eligibility. There are no criteria guaranteeing or even suggesting that locals must be employed.
Although the tender document states that its primary focus is on “Beach Rejuvenation Plan”, that is the only time the word rejuvenation is used in the 260-page document. The word “dune” or “sand dune” finds no mention in the document. The document does not state that the temporary structures have to be removed during monsoon.
Herald contacted Akash Sharma, the designated officer of the project from Delhi and asked him whether an environmental impact study was done for the project. He stated he was not aware. Herald also asked him if he is aware that in Goa all temporary structures had to be removed during monsoon to protect the beach to which he responded that he is not aware.
“The Biodiversity Board has a proposal to restore the sand dunes”, says Dr Antonio Mascarenhas wondering whether it would clash with the blue flag project. “This sounds worse than the beach privatisation of 2002 which was demolished back then. Without a site plan, how can they call it a tender?”, he questioned
Herald spoke to Sanjeev Joglekar of GCZMA who
informed that the Blue flag project does not fall in the sand dune area. He said that consultants from Delhi had visited the site and they must have prepared a site plan. With regards to the removal of temporary structures during monsoon, he said that a CRZ notification was amended that temporary structures need not be removed during monsoon.
“First of all there is a court order that without CZMP no project can be approved therefore no project can come up within CRZ areas”, says Kashynath Shetye. He stated that he has challenged the notification permitting temporary structures on the beach during monsoon and that notices have been sent to MoEF.
Is the entire project bad? No. Goan beaches need CCTV surveillance, security and enforcement of a strict anti-littering policy. The project also attempts to address many of the tourism-related requirements such as toilets and changing rooms. But in order to do all this, is it a good idea for the Central government to virtually hand over the beach to a private company without any environmental or legal safeguards?
