Protest to culminate in meeting at Azad Maidan, Panaji
MARGAO
Come Sunday and the people and the organisations opposing the controversial Jetty Policy 2022 and the nationalisation of rivers have planned a massive South-North motorcycle rally, which will culminate in a meeting at the Azad Maidan at Panaji.
Anti-jetty policy activists from various parts of South Goa, right from Canacona to Raia, will converge at pre-determined spots before they all cross the Borim bridge on their motorcycles.
Social activist Abhijit Prabhudesai said the motorcycle rally is not a culmination of the agitation against the controversial Jetty Policy, but the beginning of a sustained movement against the policy in the event the government does not scrap the same. “This is the first major rally the people opposing the Jetty Policy 2022 will take out on coming Sunday. If the Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and the government fail to understand the sentiments of the people of Goa, we will intensify the ongoing agitation against the policy in the coming days,” Abhijit warned.
He said the people of Goa would continue to oppose the jetty policy, the nationalisation of the rivers, the Port Limits and the Sagarmala project come what may.
While giving a call to the people of Goa to join the rally in large numbers, Abhijit warned the government to pay heed to the sentiments of the people by scrapping the Jetty Policy 2022.
Meanwhile, the Goyche Fudle Pidge Khatir (GFPK), an organisation committed to securing the safety of Goa’s future generation, has expressed its concerns over the contents presented by Goa Government in the draft Jetty Policy 2022.
Filing its objections and suggestions, the organisation pointed out that dredging of the rivers by Jetty Management Committee (JMC) is detrimental to rivers from the fisheries, ecological and livelihoods point of view. Destruction of Benthic Species is a direct assault on the livelihood of the fishing communities as well on food security of people of Goa including khazan based riparian agriculture, the organisation said.
It further said the entire policy is aimed at restructuring Goa’s rivers and riparian coast to suit the interests of corporate interests that have invested and will be investing in river-centric tourism activities notably in water sports and passenger cruises in Goa’s rivers. “Indirectly this policy is privatisation and industrialisation of Goa’s all rivers. Proposed auctioning of berthing licence of tourism passenger vessels amounts to auctioning of Goa’s rivers through the ripple effect,” it said.
Saying that powers and nature of the jetty ownership are not clear whether permitted ownership is by individuals or by a partnership firm or co-operative or by cooperate entity, etc. The nature of the legal relationship between the JMC and jetty owner too is not specified in the draft Jetty Policy 2022.
“We disagree with the fundamental premises of turning Goa’s rivers into tourism-centric entities and hold strong views that Goa’s rivers must be promoted as fishing-centric entities. This is particularly so in the interest of future generations of Goa whose rights and interests we stand to defend. We also strongly disagree side-lining of fishing communities in the draft Jetty Policy 2022 as stakeholders of rivers. Stakeholders theory is defectively applied in the draft Jetty Policy 2022 and comes across as hostile to fishing activities,” Goyche Fudle Pilge Khatir asserted.
