Tuesday 13 September 2016

Goa Tourism Master Plan 2016: who are masters? Who are slaves?


Press release: Goa Tourism Master Plan

This interim tourism Master Plan and Policy was put up on website www.goatourism.gov.in  on 24th August 2016

Module 3 last date for comments was 4th September 2016. Objections were to be mailed to goatourismmasterplan@gmail.com

Public was given 16 days for comments, pretty atrocious by any standards.

 Bharat Mukti Morcha objects following and shares here for public awareness purpose:

1.      Page 15: Consider the entire State as tourism development area. Culture of Goa is fishing and agriculture. It must be protected from tourism at all costs.

2.      Page 23: Fishermen Market and F&B Court at Britona, Siridao and Mobor. Captioned as Goa’s number one source of fresh sea food.” Domestic consumers of fish to be deprived as fish will be costly and with demands from tourism.

3.      Page 24: High End music venue paired with luxury lifestyle resort in Baga, Calangute and Candolim Beach with biggest clubs in India in one of these three beaches.

4.      Page 24: High end lifestyle beach club paired with luxury lifestyle resort at Cavelossim, Palolem, Arambol, Vagathor and Anjuna Beach with day and night atmosphere of music.

5.      Page 25: Eco-beach (Resort): Pure Eco-beach and Eco Resorts at Querim, Mandrem, and Morjim in Pernem and Agonda, Patnem and Palolem, Talpona and Galgibag beach. Captioned as “Built in harmony with nature and hence with minor impact on environment.”

6.       Page 25: Marinas in Mandovi river at Britonna, Nauxi Bay and Chicalim. Fishermen directly affected. There is already opposition to the same from 2010.

7.      Page 31: Cultural Events, Music day and night atmosphere. Actually there will be drinks and food. This must not be allowed where St. Francis Xavier walked. Old Goa is a place of religious sanctity. This must be rejected, and Religious values must not be hurt.

8.      Page 32: Goa Multicultural experience at Old Goa Church. Has office of the Archbishop of Goa endorsed this? Or is it another scam like Vanxim sale? For the said purpose the Archeology Survey of India has given permission? As it is place of complete sanctify of high religious values.

9.      Page 36: Discovery River Cruises: Chapora River, Cumbharjua canal, Mandovi River and Zuari River. Tourism has already caused irreversible damage to Goa’s beaches. Fishermen are to be directly impacted through dredging as well as tourism through boat rides.

10.  Page 37: Divar island along with eastern Goa has been demarcated for “Slow Movement Wellness centres”. There is already one such centre in Divar that releases its effluent in Mandovi river near Vanxim. Tourism Master Plan is silent on what is to be done with such cases. In module 2 page nos 47 & 48 in fact names this entity as Devaaya – Ayurveda and Nature Cure Centre. Can continues daily release of effluents in Mandovi river part of its ethics? Part of Tourism Department ethics? Daily release of effluents gives out obnoxious odor to people around as well as staff of Ferry services plying between Vanxim and Divar.

11.  Page 37: Nature Sanctuaries to be opened up for tourism. This is disruption of wild life. The question about cordoning off access to forest for tribal people and blockade to through digging of trenches to prevent cattle grazing of tribal people has been kept under wraps.

12.  Page 42: Waterfront Promenades  (dancing floors on land at water’s edge) at Old Goa, Chapora, Panjim, Mayem lake and Colva beach. This is a must to stop as it would cause lot of social damage to everyone especially the youth.

13.  Page 42: Family Entertainment District inclusive of Themed Park. Entire Pernem Taluka is marked with pointer towards proposed Mopa Airport and termed as “District”. Goa already has two districts. Is Pernem going to be third district? Are People of Goa taken in confidence on declaring Pernem Taluka as third district? Captioned as “A leisure and entertainment hub for the family offering a themed park, F&B, shopping, and accommodation.” Pernem already has Golf Course proposal in Tiracol along with luxury hotel of Leading Hotels. Mopa airport EIA records plans for Golf Course in Mopa itself. Luxury hotels are shown in beaches of Pernem a Querim, Mandrem, and Morjim.

14.   Page 43: Chapora Bay and Chicalim Bay has been proposed as Gaming districts. This means Panjim off shore casinos will be shifted at these two venues. Two areas will be marked exclusively for casinos and this is direct blow to fishing allied activities.

15.  Page 43: Up-gradation of nightlife across Goa. People of Goa must be prepared to go without sleep. Night life must be stopped completely as it is destruction of Youth. Many Youth are hooked on drugs due to such night life parties. Even school students are attracted to this menace.

16.  Page 44: Golf Course at Mopa. There is already opposition to Golf Courses in Tiracol and Vanxim. Water requirement for maintaining of Golf Course is not mentioned.

17.  Page 48: Mass Events at Vagator beach, Candolim beach and Shyma Prasad Indoor Stadium. Are local people consulted before making this proposal public? We object such mass events.

18.  Page 55: Mode of Transport through water is in direct confrontation with fishermen. Cruise Terminal at MPT is mentioned as attracting international cruise travelers. MPT is also causing harm to local fishermen at Khariavaddo. Then Sea based inter-state transportation of tourists is proposed at Tiracol Fort, Chapora River Basin, Fort Aguada, Dona Paula/ Panjim-Old Goa, Mormugao Port, Colva beach, Mobor Beach/ River Sal/ Cabo-de-Rama, River Talpona/ Polem. Jetties are proposed to be built in these venues.  These Jetties then can support Ferry Services, Catamaran Ferry, Sea Buses, Speed boats and Sea Planes to ferry tourists.

19.  Page 55: Mopa Aiport is expected to handle 13.1 million passengers by 2036 with focus on Free Independent Travellers (FITs). Mopa airport is not needed when Dabolim serve Goa well.

20.  Page 75 of module 2 proposes State subsidy for Hotels as well as single window clearances. It is using public funds for public ruin. BMM opposes the same.

Goa government tourism department believes that people of Goa are incapable to plan their own future and needs Swiss agency to draw up the Tourism master plan and policy for Goa. Goa is fully equipped with qualified personalities do to the required success oriented requirements to up lift Goa’s Development as required by Goans.

The nomenclature used is “Tourism Master Plan” One such Tourism Master Plan was opposed chiefly by students and youth in 1987. Now after 29 years another one is proposed.
Who is a master? Who is a Slave? If there is a master plan there has to somebody who is to be enslaved. Needlessly this nomenclature of “Master Plan” does not fit. And target of enslavement are People of Goa, Land of Goa and Ecology of Goa.

We call upon the People of Goa to read, study & we need to move fast and decisively to object the Tourism Master Plan 2016. It is mentioned in that it’s a draft which could be final – So lets go for it as committed Goans, for us & our future Generations.

 Sd/-

Maggie Silveira
President

Goa State Unit