SURAJ NANDREKAR
suraj@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The village of Tuem is up in the arms – not against the project but against the injustice they feel has been committed by the authorities against them.
The State government’s ambitious plans of the Electronic City at Tuem has not only robbed the poor farmers of their land but has also hurt the environment badly.
Sources allege that the government agency – Information Tech Corporation of Goa –is committing grave illegalities to promote this IT project.
It has come to the fore that the government has neither taken an Environment Clearance nor has an Environment Impact Assessment for this project been conducted.
As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, industrial estates/parks/complexes/areas, export processing Zones (EPZs), Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Biotech Parks, Leather Complexes require EC if the area is more than 500 ha need an EC.
When Herald contacted Info-Tech Corporation chairman Nilkanth Halarnkar, he said, “I have no idea, you ask the Managing Director. I have just taken over. Not gone through it properly”.
Former Information Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte said there was no need for an environment clearance. “We were told by the consultants then that there was no need of EC or EIA as these would be individual plots and not one project. The individual promoters will have to see in future with regards their plots,” he said.
Former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said whatever necessary permissions were required were taken. “We have taken permission as per advice of the consultants and I do not remember exactly now. But if EC and EIA have not been done and it is mandatory, it has to be done now as there are no two ways about it,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that farmers’ land was snatched away by government.
Green activist Kashinath Shetye says the project, which has such grave impact, needs an EC and there can be no compromise on that. “Be it some individual small plots or anything, the EC is required and the EC directions are very clear in this regard. We also have to see whether the area falls under Economic Sensitive Zones,” he said.
Shetye said any project more than 50 hectares in size has to have Environment Clearance from MoEF.
Locals say that the government has already constructed roads by massive hill cutting without proper permissions from the MoEF or the NGT.
Moreover, they say their land has been taken over by the government without any proper acquisition. “This is clear case of land grab. Our land was just taken over without even informing or any compensation,” complains Devaki Naik Gaonkar.
She said it was only through media that they came to know in 2014 that the land was being taken over by government. “When asked we were told that jobs will be given and ancillary businesses will be given to locals but the project is not moving ahead nor the land has been given back,” Gaonkar added.
