MAPUSA
In a mounting standoff over unchecked tourism development along Goa’s northern coast, traditional fishermen from Ecoxim and Pomburpa have approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), raising alarms over the impact of private jetties and luxury marine tourism on their fragile ecosystem and centuries-old way of life.
At the heart of the dispute is the growing number of private jetties catering to boating and yachting activities, particularly at Penha de Franca in Britona.
Local fishing communities say this expansion is threatening their livelihoods, eroding their access to fishing zones, and accelerating ecological degradation.
Their fears intensified after a recent No Objection Certificate (NOC) was quietly granted by the central government to a Mumbai-based company for the construction of a private jetty in Malim. The proposed facility is intended to berth up to 16 luxury yachts and accommodate vessels up to 30 metres long.
Promoted as a boost to river cruise tourism, the Malim jetty has drawn fierce opposition from local fishermen who view it as yet another example of tourism development encroaching on traditional fishing spaces.
“For generations, our families have lived off these waters. If private jetties keep coming up, where will we go to fish?” said one of the petitioners.
In their petition, the fishermen have asked the NGT to direct the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the Captain of Ports to submit a comprehensive inventory of all jetties – public or private – constructed in CRZ areas.
Their concern is not just the Malim jetty, but a pattern of encroachment by commercial entities into traditional coastal commons, often under the pretext of tourism development.
The petition questions the legality of setting up private and commercial jetties in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas, particularly those falling under ecologically sensitive zones or designated fish breeding grounds.
The petitioners have asked whether the establishment of jetties – temporary or permanent, public or private – in tidal-influenced water bodies is permissible under the CRZ Notification, 2011.
The fishermen have further demanded that the NGT declare all jetty constructions – other than those meant for fishing or fishery-related activities – as impermissible within CRZ areas in traditional fishing villages.
They argue that such infrastructure poses a serious threat to marine ecology and undermines the livelihood of local fishing communities.
Crucially, they are also demanding the preparation and approval of a Zonal Master Plan for the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) surrounding the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary – a plan that was mandated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in 2015 but remains unimplemented.
For the fishing community, this is not merely a legal fight but a battle for survival.
With fish catch already declining due to pollution and river traffic, they fear that further commercialization will crowd them out entirely.
The proliferation of private jetties, they argue, fragments their access to traditional fishing zones and accelerates habitat degradation in breeding areas.
Their appeal to the NGT underscores a larger anxiety: that Goa’s coastal identity is slowly being reshaped by luxury tourism, sidelining those who have lived in harmony with the sea for centuries.
With tensions running high, the matter is expected to come up before the NGT in the coming days, as environmentalists and local communities await further developments.
