Team Herald
PANJIM: Stakeholders on Thursday welcomed the Government of India in-principle approval to the State’s demand not to depict the port limits in the final Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011, which is now in process of finalisation.
Showing the port limits in CZMP would be dangerous to fishermen, activists said. Also including the port limits would be the design of the coal lobby, they added. Activists and stakeholders have demanded that fishermen’s houses which existed before 1991 be protected, that a fisheries management plan be drawn up and sand dunes should be shown in the CZMP 2011.
Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral had on Wednesday stated that the Centre had in-principle agreed to three major issues – removal of port limits and structures and notification based on 1:4000 scale.
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Mormugao fishermen object to
activity at Kharewado
Fishermen from Mormugao on Thursday demanded that the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) desist from undertaking any activity at Kharewado, Vasco against the interest of fishing community. They demanded that the fishing community be taken into confidence if any activity is planned.
In a memorandum submitted to GCZMA, the fishermen said that on April 12, a team of officials including
GCZMA officials visited Kharewado and held an inspection without informing the elected representatives and the fishing community. They suspected that the Mormugao Port Trust or the Mormugao Port Authority is trying to carry out some inspection of a proposed jetty at Kharewado, where fishermen have been residing from times immemorial.
They alleged that the GCZMA has proposed a destructive project aimed to annihilate their fishing village to help the crony capitalists to bring coal into Goa. During the inspection the fishermen raised strong objections complaining that they were not taken confidence and alleged that GCZMA, which is supposed to protect the interests of the fishing community and other communities living along the coast as per the CRZ Notification 2011, was helping crony capitalists.
The fishermen also pointed out while hearing a petition against Marina project at Nauxi, the government had told the High Court of Bombay at Goa that no activity related to any project involving coastal management will be undertaken or allowed to be undertaken till the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of Goa is finalised and approved. Hence, the activity for which the team of officials had visited Kharewado is highly suspicious, surprising and in total contravention, they said.
They demanded that no clearance be given by the port authorities which will lead to the demolition of the houses and demanded that the government should intervene and resolve the matter amicably.
