Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The scheduled aerial survey of the State’s coast has been halted, according to Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, who also stated that the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has no business being involved in the identification of structures along the coastline.
He added that a similar survey by the GSPCB would have been redundant work, and that the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is now hiring organizations to carry out the aerial survey.
“There is just one reason we are abandoning the survey. Aleixo Sequeira has discontinued the survey. Since an MLA brought up the matter during the Goa Legislative Assembly’s February session, I have put a stop to it.
“The matter was properly raised by the MLA for the straightforward reason that mapping or surveying the coastal belt belongs with the GCZMA and is outside the purview of the GSPCB,” he continued. I had promised that the GSPCB would not conduct the survey when the matter was brought up in the Assembly.
The Minister drew attention to the fact that although the government has two drones and other tools at its disposal that could be used to complete the survey, the GSPCB was supposed to outsource the work.
“My argument is that we have the necessary in-house apparatus and equipment if we need to conduct the drone survey. In these situations, doing the poll internally is sufficient. The internal survey will be far less expensive than contracting out the work,” he continued.
