She stands against builders and politicians, with an aim to preserve all that is good in Colva. From protesting against land grabbing to cleaning the Colva Creek, Judith Almeida in an unstoppable force
Judith Almeida was born in Margao, raised in Mumbai and now settledin Colva. This strong willed woman has been a force to be reckoned with inColva, as she fights to preserve the coastline, its sand dunes, water bodiesand precious agricultural fields.
Judith began her battle in 2004 under the banner of ColvaConsumer and Civic Forum with eight other members, standing tall at gram sabhameetings against the builder lobby, who wanted to erect monstrous mega-housingprojects in Colva. “Earlier I lived in Aquem and the entire area there wasdestroyed for housing projects when Margao city started to spill into thesuburbs. I saw hundreds of jackfruit and cashews trees being in felled but thenI just watched in silence, though I would complain to my husband,” recallsJudith.
But in 2004, when the Panchayat wanted to acquire land toput up a multi-purpose sports complex in front of the Colva Church in a lowlying mangrove area which consisted of a natural water body, that’s when theactivist spirit evoked in Judith to stand-up and fight. “I believed enough wasenough, how long was I to watch destruction. Every time I walked along theColva beach since 1994, I saw so many illegal structures being erected on thebeach. The Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules were blatantly violated byhotels and restaurants,” asserts Judith, while recalling how beautiful Colvawas where families would come for picnics and tourism had not been commercialisedyet.
Judith had to fight many battles since 2004, including oneregarding the setting up of a sports complex, despite the fact that there wasalready one existing. “My argument to the panchayat and Town and CountryPlanning Officials was very simple, why acquire a piece of land and destroyecology and the water body, when the SAG had already acquired a field and setupa football ground near the beach. That ground was setup by seizing land frompoor farmers who were cultivating till acquisition and now another sportscomplex?,” question Judith, going on to reveal that the SAG built ground, wasnow being leased out. “The government has given the Colva ground on a 99 yearlease to hotel that has illegal encroachments and CRZ violations. I have moveda caveat in the matter,” explains Judith.
Judith moved court, between 2005 and 2008 on multipleoccasions against a construction site in Vanelim-Colva, since the mundkars ofthat land were evicted without compensation, their traditional access to thefields blocked, a natural drain to the agricultural fields and a pond buried, anatural well choked, and three bore wells were setup for construction of aresidential project of 272 homes along with a swimming pool. The matter is nowin the High Court.
But Judith biggest challenge has been to clean the Colvacreek and stopping hotels and holiday homes from dumping their sewage into thecreek. “I have been knocking from pillar to post, fighting with the GoaPollution Control Board Authorities, District Collector and WRD Officials tokeep a check on the STP’s of these hotels but they continuously flout the rulesand release garbage.”
During the Code of Conduct of the March-April 2012 AssemblyPolls, with a High Court order, Judith got the Colva creek de-silted andcleaned by the authorities showing all the politicians that Colva Consumer andCivic Forum alone should take credit for the works.
She sacrifices her time with her family but has no regretsas she continues to stand up for Colva, always on her toes fighting the lamanison the beach, the incompetent garbage contractor, the hotel lobby thatcontinuously encroaches the Coastal Regulatory Zone, the construction lobbyinvolved in flattening sand dunes, the restaurants and shacks that arepolluting the Colva creek and the money laundering real estate lobby that isgreedy to grab agricultural fields from the poor Colva farmer.
