Team Herald
PONDA: Shiroda-Panchawadi locals on Thursday gheraoed the staff at the Ponda Block Development Office (BDO) and accused the Shiroda panchayat of keeping them in the dark not displaying the revised Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) on time, which, they claimed, the local body received on September 25.
The locals said that all villages across Goa have displayed the plans inviting suggestions from the people for final approval, but the Shiroda Panchayat failed to display the same for past many days. The villagers further said that they only came to know about the same on Thursday.
Addressing media persons, the villagers said they would reject the draft CZMP which was shown to them on Thursday despite the same was sent by government to display in panchayat office on September 25.
Citing that no changes have been made in the plan despite sending their suggestions, the locals have decided to reject Draft and accused the Shiroda Panchayat of not displaying the revised CZMP in its office.
The local women alleged that the other Panchayats received the plan on September 25 but Shiroda Panchayat did not even bother to display the plan in its office.
Following the gherao on the issue, the panchayat secretary on Thursday showed them the plan and villagers noticed that their suggestions are not incorporated in the plan.
As the Ponda BDO was out of station for official work, several locals have now decided to meet the Ponda BDO on October 4 for failing to display the draft plan. The villagers suspect that the government may force the old plan on them without considering their suggestions.
It is learnt that October 5 is the last date for the locals to send their suggestions on CZMP. The locals have warned the government that they would resist forcing any plan on them that would destroy the environment, houses and fishing zone.
The villagers were furious over the government’s failure to honour its promise to depute a person to explain to them the plan. They claimed that there were no changes in the plan except for the number of pages — earlier the plan was of five pages and now it is reduced to three pages.
