Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that his government is hopeful that the Centre will agree to its demand for the removal of 21 villages from the ESA.
“The Committee, with whom we met, advised the removal of 21 settlements. Additional communities may be explored for removal if feasible. “Our demands are sincere and beneficial to the State and its citizens,” he declared.
“I am confident that they will accept all of our demands and fulfill them,” the chief minister stated.
According to Minister Aleixo Sequeira, the Union Ministry will make the ultimate decision.
“We have presented our argument to remove 21 communities from the ESA. We want more settlements to be taken out. To deliver its report to MoEF&CC, which will make the ultimate decision on the issue, the team will depart for Delhi,” the Minister stated.
In August, the Center proposed 108 Goan villages as ESA in its draft notification. Twelve villages from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem, and one from Canacona taluka were to be dropped, according to the government’s proposal.
The State has argued that since 87 villages fit the Ministry’s requirements, they should be classified as ESA.
