Team Goemkarponn
CHIMBEL:Residents of Chimbel have renewed their pledge to resist the controversial Unity Mall project after the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) granted it conditional environmental clearance.
The mall, proposed on a 20,855 sq m plot adjacent to the Chimbel wetland lake, has triggered concern over potential harm to the lake’s ecosystem, nearby aquifers, and traditional livelihoods. “This is the very site where the government’s IT Park plan was scrapped in 2018 due to public opposition,” recalled Govind Shirodkar, chairperson of the Chimbel Biodiversity Management Committee.
While SEIAA has directed the developers to use treated water from the Tonca sewage treatment plant and prepare a mobility plan to address traffic concerns, villagers say the process has lacked transparency.
The Chimbel Panchayat has already adopted a resolution against the project, with the Sarpanch expressing support for residents’ objections.
Parts of the land earmarked for the mall include forest and agricultural areas around the centuries-old Toyar Lake, which once served as Panaji’s main water source.
To press their demand for scrapping the project, villagers plan to hold a protest march to Toyar Lake. The rally will also oppose the government’s proposal to construct a 17-storey Prashasan Sthamb at Kadamba Plateau.
