Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa government has decided to relocate the proposed Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh projects from the initially identified site near Toyyar lake in Chimbel, following sustained protests by local residents and a court order cancelling the construction licence.
The decision was announced late Wednesday night through an official statement issued by the Tourism Department. While reiterating that the project location did not fall within the Toyyar lake wetland or its notified influence zone, the government said it chose to move the projects after taking into account the concerns raised by sections of the local community.
According to the department, the proposed site lies within a settlement zone adjacent to the National Highway. However, “considering the sentiments and emotions expressed by some villagers, the government has decided to shift both projects to an alternate location,” the statement said.
The department also detailed the process undertaken to assess the environmental concerns flagged by residents. It said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held discussions with Chimbel villagers on January 21, following which he directed officials to carry out a comprehensive mapping of the Toyyar lake wetland and its surrounding influence zone.
The survey exercise began on January 23 and concluded on January 28, involving representatives of the villagers along with technical experts, including a hydrologist, architect, officials from CSIR–NIO, members of the Wetland Authority, DSLR officials and Tourism Department representatives. An advocate appointed by the villagers was also part of the process.
During the survey, a detailed ground verification was conducted to identify drainage patterns, water flows—both surface and sub-surface—vegetation cover, agricultural land, natural springs and the overall catchment area of the lake, as highlighted by the villagers. The survey team physically inspected the entire catchment boundary, mapped inlet points, high and low water lines and examined the earthen bund of the lake.
High-resolution drone imagery was also used to study the terrain and land contours. Following the completion of the exercise, the draft report along with detailed maps was shared with the villagers and their legal representative.
The Tourism Department stated that the findings clearly indicated that the proposed Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh site was located outside both the wetland’s zone of influence and the catchment area, including areas identified by experts engaged by the villagers.
Earlier on Wednesday, residents of Chimbel declined to attend a meeting convened by the Chief Minister, stating that they first needed access to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to meaningfully assess the project’s potential impact.
“We cannot participate in discussions without studying the DPR and comparing it with the inspection findings,” a local leader said.
Later, advocate Malisa Simoes, representing the villagers, confirmed that the draft survey report had been received. “The survey has just concluded. We need at least 24 hours to analyse the observations alongside our own findings before submitting our response,” she said.
Last week, Chief Minister Sawant had appealed to protesters to call off their agitation, reiterating that the Unity Mall is a Central government initiative and cannot be abandoned. He also pointed out that the project involves a prefabricated steel structure and that considerable public funds have already been spent.
