Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Goencho Avaaz Party said that it was an appalling waste of public money, time and resources on the part of the Goa government to hold the CZMP public hearings in North and South Goa in such a shoddy, badly organized and unprofessional manner, unbefitting of a state government administration.
GAP said that both the North and South Goa public hearings could be justifiably termed as a joke if it were not for the tragedy of the vast number of Goans who made their way to the venues from all corners of Goa to make their presentations and submissions as directed by the State government.
As Goencho Avaaz President Swapnesh Sherlekar pointed out, “The Pramod Sawant government’s lack of seriousness in its conduct during the public hearing was evident right from the word go. People who had made the effort to register earlier, as per the government directive, found the serial numbers given to the speakers arbitrarily changed. This resulted in many persons who were listed for later missing their turns, when their slots were preponed. It is anybody’s guess if this was done deliberately to hamper the people’s participation on an important and crucial issue to Goa and its survival. In fact, the North Goa Collector was conspicuous by his absence at the Panaji public hearing”.
Goencho Avaaz State Convenor Capt. Viriato Fernandes said that the inhumane decision of the government to push through with the proceedings throughout the day and night showed scant respect for registered speakers, who were kept without food and sustenance. People both elderly as well as women residing in distant villages like Canacona and Talpona were burdened with the dim prospects of getting home safely at an unearthly hour, without the facility of public transport.
”In such a vital issue like the CZMP, it was imperative that an authentic and realistic picture of the ground realities be obtained not only through statutory and other environmental bodies and experts, but also by the people actually living in the areas, with practical experience of the vagaries of the sea, rivers and coastlines in their particular and specific areas of residence,” he said.
GAP said the manner in which the public hearings were pushed through and manipulated throughout, gives rise to the justifiable suspicion that the actual motive of the Government is to rush through the public hearings and get on with implementing its favoured CZMP, with no regard whatsoever for the damage, impact and cost to Goa and Goans.
Goencho Avaaz warned the people of Goa not to get hoodwinked by this sham of a public hearing on such a crucial issue like the Coastal Zone Management Plan, upon which our very survival may depend. These public hearings in fact, only showcased the contempt in which this government holds the ecology of Goa in particular and the people of Goa in general.