Shipyards along River Zuari accused of illegalities

Shipyards along River Zuari accused of illegalities
HERALD REPORTER
VASCO, JAN 23
After tackling rampant hill cutting activities in various parts of the State, activists of Village Groups of Goa (VGG) have now turned their attention to shipyards in Rassaim-Loutolim.
They claim that many shipyards in the village have been operating along the banks of the Zuari River by flouting all norms.
VGG activists Carmen de Miranda, Charles Fernandes, Joao Philip Pereira, Zarina D’Cunha, Peter Da Costa, Delano, took a group of reporters by boat towards the site, as most shipyards have constructed high compound walls along the road.
“These shipyards were illegally set up in NDZ (No Development Zone) and are in complete violation of CRZ regulations. It is amusing to note that all these CRZ violations are happening right in the constituency of the Minister for Environment,” VGG member Carmen de Miranda said.
“VGG has obtained documents under Right to Information Act that suggest that mandatory approvals from competent authorities like Town and Country Planning, Panchayat and Conversion sanads and most importantly CRZ approvals have not been obtained by any of the shipyards operating along the banks of river Zuari for the past so many years.”
“Some shipyards have been set up in tenanted paddy fields too. The shipyards have further been set up in areas depicted as agricultural zone in the 2001 regional plan in force,” added Miranda.
“NOC’s including electrical connections have been independently issued over the years without any panchayat body resolutions. Independent heavy duty transformers have been installed within the premises of these shipyards based on illegal NOC’s,” said Miranda.
She accused the Captain of Ports of illegally issuing NOC’s and repeatedly granting renewals to these illegal shipyards without the mandatory approval of CRZ and other competent authorities.
“Further, the Captain of Ports has illegally allowed setting up of shipyards to do concrete piling deep in the river by charging a paltry sum of Rs 3 per sq. mt for such irreversible damage,” said Miranda.
“Most of the illegally set up shipyards have in this manner encroached deep into the river thereby permanently reducing the width of the river, which is a criminal offence.”
Meanwhile, a public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court by one Franky Monteiro from Loutolim along with the Goa Foundation.
They have sought the closure of shipyards illegally set up along the Zuari River in Loutolim and to restore the riverbank to its original status.
They have also demanded accountability from the persons/ authorities involved in the activity.
The matter is listed for hearing before the Court on January 24.