VASCO: The concern expressed by the fishing community and the civil society members over the MPT Port limits marking shown in the draft CZMP 2021 was not shown in the earlier CZMP plans claimed some of prominent people from the Port Town.
Parshuram Sonurlekar, leader of Aam Aadmi Party from Mormugao and a former activist said, “In the year 2017 we the people of Mormugao and Vasco have opposed the proposed POL terminal at Kharewado which was threatening our livelihood and impacting the environment. Later the project was scrapped the CZMP allowed us to plan coastal plan for each village. We locals had an opportunity to plan our own plan and save our villages.”
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Sonurlekar added,“We asked the people of Kharewado, Desterro wado, Baina fishermen and Vaddem people to design their own plan and tried to save our villages by submitting the plan to Mormugao Municipal Council and we’re relaxed as all this villages are safe now as the basic purpose and scope of CZMPs was to:
1. Ensuring livelihood security to the fisher Communities and other local communities living in the coastal areas
2. Conserving and protecting coastal stretches its unique environment and its marine area
3. Promoting sustainable development.
Sonurlekar revealed that “As of now the Central government has passed the Major Port Authority Bill 2020, it’s quite natural and we believe that all the efforts made to save our villages by way of CZMPs is of no use, as large portion of land of Mormugao and Vasco have been given free of coast as the act gives autonomous landlordship to MPT. Hence we believe that the project was such as POL which we have defeated in courts will gain momentum as the coal expansion plans also looks possible with 50 MMTT coal import, as henceforth MPT doesn’t require any permission from the State Government and this the game changer for MPT.
“The MPT will control the entire Vasco bay and Baina bay which will restrict local fishermen and specially the small fishermen from fishing and travelling in this bay. The State government was very much aware about the Major Port Act and its consequences on the State and people at large much in advance, yet it allowed the Centre to pass this bill. We strongly condemned and oppose the Major Port Act hence it will lead to destruction of Mormugao and Vasco,” Sonurlekar of AAP added.
Another activist and a Co-convenor of Goencho Avaaz social group Captain Viriato Fernandes in his comment said that “Close scrutiny of the latest draft of CZMP 2021 prepared CRZ 2011 reveals a very frightening aspect as far the people of Goa living along the coast are concerned. The plan shows the coast in most villages under the Port limits, thus confirming the fears that the activists and civil society have been expressing since long. And the four sections mentioned in Major Ports Authority Bill 2020 that was recently passed in the Parliament viz. sec 22(2), 22(3), 25 and 26(2) gives absolute power to MPT over the coast and the rivers.
He further expressed that
“This sounds a death knell to our fishing community, the traditional community that has dwelled along the coast as well as the toddy tappers, Mundkars, Farmers, clam collectors, etc, as they will lose unchecked access into the waters. And if you superimpose the provisions enshrined in the IWAI Act which empowers COMPULSORY ACQUISITION of UPPERTENENT LAND on either side of the river bank, we have a disaster looming large over Goa with MPT becoming a “state within a state” with powers overriding those of the local bodies, the TCP and also the State. This is a result of a weak State government at the mercy of crony capitalists,” he added.
Sanjay Redkar, Goa Against Coal, activist from Vasco, also gave his view in which he stated “It looks like that the state government is taking away the rights of the fishermen by marking the port limits on the CZMP. It’s a sad situation to be in, as the present Government is consciously choosing to lose its rights with the Major port authorities bill becoming an Act.
When contacted Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association president Jose Philipe D’souza whose family business has been fishing, mentioned that “sudden marking shown of the Port limits in the draft CZMP 2021 plan is going to have vast impact on the fishing community especially from Mormugao, Vasco area. Fishing villages and the fishermen community people living and doing fishing activities and other traditional communities will be badly affected due to the MPA bill.”
D’Souza also said that “before drafting latest CZMP plan the government should have taken local people especially the traditional communities in confidence which has not been done. By bringing such changes, sections and law which people are unaware, Govt seems to be in a plan to take away the rights of the local people which is not the right thing.”
He concluded citing one example of St Jacinto Island which he claimed that the govt wants to acquire and hand it over to the MPT. He said that ‘the island belongs to the Gaonkars (fishermen).’
“There is a church where the fishermen pray. The fishermen community will not remain calm if the govt goes ahead with such initiative of acquiring island and handing it over to the MPT. All 40 legislators should come forward and they need to work in protecting the interest of the local people.”
Efforts were made to contact MPT Chairman on the telephone to get his views on this issue but he was unavailable. Although the questionnaire has been emailed on his official mail and the reply is awaited for these questions.
