Members demand removal of MPT from major port bracket, de-nationalising of rivers
MARGAO
Rejecting in one voice the Coastal Zone Management Plan, the Loutolim gram sabha on Friday demanded that the Goa government approach the Centre to remove the MPT from the major port bracket and to de-nationalise the rivers of Goa.
While saying that houses post-1991 are not shown in the draft, the panchayat has brought to the notice of the GCZMA Member Secretary that ship repair workshops, which are operating post-1991 are being shown as jetties and shipyards in the draft plan.
After the meeting, Loutolim Sarpanch Tony Vaz dashed off a letter to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to reject the CZMP and to consider the draft plan which was prepared by the village panchayat in 2019 as per the government request.
The gram sabha members picked up anomalies in the CZMP sent by the government, pointing out that internal bundhs leading to the agricultural fields are not shown on the draft plan.
Besides, they stated that agricultural fields outside the main bundh are also not shown in the draft plan, but shown in the WRD maps.
Agitated members further pointed out that the number of water bodies inside the khazans are not shown in the CZMP/maps, adding that many agricultural fields have been shown as water bodies in the draft plan.
The gram sabha members contended that the Borim bridge has not found mention in the draft CZMP.
While saying that houses post-1991 are not shown in the draft, the panchayat has brought to the notice of the GCZMA Member Secretary that ship repair workshops, which are operating post-1991 are shown in the plan.
The members demanded that mangroves in khazans/fields and cantors should be shown by different colour and not under CRZ 1 A as shown in the draft CZMP, contending it will cause problems for farmers when they want to grow their fields.
While saying that Port limits was not shown in the draft CZMP 2019, agitated members demanded to know why the port limits have now found mention in the plan, with members trying to figure out whether it is the Captain of Port limits or Major Ports limits.
In the letter addressed to the GCZMA Member Secretary Sarpanch Tony pointed out that the CZMP has to be prepared based on CRZ-2011 notificaiotn, objectives, questioning the role of the Port limits along the rivers in a CZMP/map. The letter demanded to know why no port limits have been shown in the areas were shipyards are existing in the village. “Survey No. 501 is entirely shown as a jetty/ shipyard when it is registered as a workshop in the village panchayat,” the letter pointed out.
It further added: “Only the rivulet or creek in Rassaim near Vijai Marine is shown within port limit, whereas the river bank from Rassaim, Loutolim, Shirodkar Shipyard to Mandovi shipyard is no shown as a port limit.”
Referring to the Hazard line on the CZMP, the members demanded to know the criteria for drawing the Hazard line. The members also sought clarification on a jetty shown in a particular survey when no such jetty exists in the area.
