Objections to finalization of Coastal Management Plan without preparing comprehensive plan for fishermen communities

 ALL GOA SMALL SCALE RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES UNION 

190, Nauxi, Bambolim, Tiswadi, Goa. 403 206 Mobile: 8805074643 

______________________________________

Date: 14/07/2021 

To, 

The Member Secretary,

Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority,

Panjim, Goa

Email: goacoastalzone@gmail.com

Subject: Objections to finalization of Coastal Management Plan for Goa without prepararing comprehensive plan for fishermen communities

Sir, 

We call upon your office to let you know that the Public Hearing on draft Coastal Management Plan held at your behest in North as well as South Goa on July 08, 2021 was without enforcing the Order no. GCZMA/GEN/MISC/13-14/Part VI/1445 issued by department of Environment and Climate change dated 04/03/2021 calling for comprehensive plan for fishermen community living in CRZ area in collaboration with Goa Fisheries Department. Non-implimentation of this order was confirmed to us by the Director of Fisheries department as no required survey was carried on northern bank of Zuari river nor any banks of Mandovi River due to prevailing restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic. 

As a result of non-enforcement of the above order several issues pertaining to fishing communities all over Goa has remained without being attended to for the inclusion in the Coastal Management Plan for Goa. We wish to list out the following points for inclusion in the Coastal Management Plan: 

1. All the residential houses and fish landing sites of the fishing communities living within CRZ has remained without being surveyed and included in the draft Coastal Management Plan. This is true across Goa like Vitogem and Sinquerim in Diwar Island, Ribandar, Vanxim (Capao), Cacra, Odxel, Nauxim, Bambolim, Siridao, Marvel, Caranzalem, Goltim-Navelim, Naroa- Sao Mathias etc. 

2. The inputs provided by the Coastal communities to your office through maps are not included in the draft plan. It resembles as if enemies of Goa's Coastal people has prepared this drafy report. 

3. More dangerously several Coastal areas,  beaches, rivers, riparian lands are shown as Port Limits. This is true in case of rivers Sal, Mandovi and Zuari too. These rivers - heavily used for fishing by small scale fishing communities - were declared as National Waterways by Government of India without consulting fishing communities of Goa thereby making complete and thorough mockery of Democracy in India. We are completely opposed to demarcation of Goa's rivers and beaches, Coastal lands and riparian lands as Port Limits. If Port namely Murmagao Port Trust (MPT) cannot function in its existing limits in Vasco then et it fold up its operations and return its assets to people of Goa rather than turning itself into monstrous bully that intent to swallow large portions of  Coastal Goa and its rivers. Aggression over Goa by India's Ministry of Shipping, Ports and National Waterways that controls MPT must stop. Your office claims to have taken decision to drop Port Limits but they are still showing on her Maps of draft Coastal Management Plan. 

4. Draft Goa Coastal Management Plan does not adequately mark fish breeding sites. Zuari as well as Mandovi rivers are fish breeding sites and has to be declared as such. 

5. Plan to safeguard fish breeding sites in Goa must also be incorporated in Coastal Management Plan. Plan must include measures to eliminate dumping of plastic garbage in rivers, reviving and rejuvenating fish breeding sites that has suffered due to political decisions to locate off shore casinos in Mandovi River,  stop speedboats and yachts in Mandovi River at Diwar Island introduced  by cutting down Mangroves and digging riverbed destroying rich marine spaces known for big black and white Shells (Khube) as well as small Shells (Khubli) for the benefit of private company named Champions Island for its clandestine activities, Demolishing of all the concrete bunds in Diwar - as they leak and disrupt fish breeding process specially of the crabs - and replacing them with traditional mud bunds of locking system for tidal waters that facilitates fish breeding as crabs use bund mud for breeding purposes, plan must also demarcated spaces for fishing practices like Footauni, Hari, Gillnets, Stakes etc. 

6. In this regard People of Vitogem and Sinquerim which are fishing communities wards on Divar Island had already made their representation to Director of Fisheries in a letter dated 21/10/2020 given entry to the Fisheries department on 22/10/2020. Fisheries department was to forward it to your office. 

7. Comprehensive Plan for fishermen communities initiated by Director of Environment and Climate Change must be completed, shared with Coastal fishing communities for ground truthing and then synchronized with Goa Coastal Management Plan before finalization. 

We request you to include all the above points in Coastal Management Plan for Goa. 

We also wish to let you know that in case you failed to include the above points then we shall be constrainted to reject the Coastal Management Plan itself. 

Thanking you, 

Yours sincerely,

Roque Menezes 

President 

Copy to: 

1. Director, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Panjim, Goa 

2. Director, Department of Fisheries, Panjim, Goa 

3. Convenor, National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers 

Objections to two Public Hearings on Coastal Management Plan for July 08, 2021

 ALL GOA SMALL SCALE RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES UNION 

190, Nauxi, Bambolim, Tiswadi, Goa. 403 206 Mobile: 8805074643 

______________________________________

Date: 02/07/2021 

To, 

The Member Secretary,

Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority,

Panjim, Goa

Email: goacoastalzone@gmail.com

Subject: Objections to two Public Hearings fixed for July 08, 2021 on Coastal Management Plan.

Sir, 

We call upon your office to let you know that certain conditions laid in your notification reference GCZMA/CZMP-2011/20-21/01/201 dated 07/06/2021 are highly objectionable.  We list them out as under: 

1. Time limit slotted to per speaker of 15 minutes is not sufficient. Each speaker must be given at least one hour to complete their submissions. No speaker must be pressurized to hurry. 

2. Forfeiting of the time slot in case speaker is not able to at fixed slot. We object this process and hold strong that those who are not able to speak at the fixed slot must be accommodated later on. 

3. Forbidding of political criticism by the speakers is highly objectionable. We strongly hold that your above referred notification is in violation of fundamental right of Freedom of Speech and expression in the Constitution of India enshrined under Article 19. We hold that preparation of Coastal Zone Management Plan is primary a political process masked as technical. We call upon you to revoke this condition immediately and issue fresh notification allowing political criticism. Otherwise public participation is a futile exercise and we consider it assault on Constitution of India. 

4. Public Hearing must not go on after 7.00 pm. Your notification that Public Hearing to continue till completion of the process is objectionable. We object continuation of Public Hearing beyond 7.00 pm. If speakers are remaining then Public Hearing must be resumed next working day. 

5. Spot entries upto 2.00 pm are objectionable as it creates undue pressure. We strongly object and advise you to drop this condition and allow spot entries throughout the day. 

6. The above notification to hold Public Hearing is issued without enforcing the Order no. GCZMA/GEN/MISC/13-14/Part VI/1445 issued by department of Environment and Climate change dated 04/03/2021 calling for comprehensive plan for fishermen community living in CRZ area. Non-imimentation of this order was confirmed to us as no required survey was carried on northern bank of Zuari river. Our inquiries has revealed that survey was not undertaken due to prevailing restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic. We request your office to report this situation to the National Green Tribunal and get the Public Hearing deferred till the referred survey is conducted and report made available in public domain. 

Overall we conclude that all the above mentioned processes included for Public Hearing are meant to exclude Public being heard. The consequences of this style of operation is satanic, cruel, perverse work of crooks that will have short term as well long term unpredictable negative effects for which your office will be held accountable and responsible. 

We advise you to pay serious attention to the above points and call off both the Public Hearings fixed for July 08, 2021 in North as well as South Goa. 

Thanking you, 

Yours sincerely,

Laximan Mangueshkar 

Secretary

Copy to: 

1. Director, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Panjim, Goa 

2. Director, Department of Fisheries, Panjim, Goa 

3. Collector, North Goa, Panjim, Goa 

4. Collector, South Goa, Margao, Goa

Objections to GCZMA 14/11/2017 decision to permit dumping dredged material to MPT near Grand Island

Date: 07/02/2018

To,

The Minister of Fisheries,

Government of Goa,

Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa

To,

The Member Secretary,

The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA),

Porvorim, Goa

Subject: Objections to GCZMA 14/11/2017 decision to permit dumping dredged material to MPT near Grand Island

Sir,

You may be aware that it’s common experience of Goa Fishermen that fish catch available near Grand Island is in abundance. In addition the scientific study is already in public domain to further substantiate this fact. We wish to bring this to your attention that study titled “FISH ASSEMBLAGES OF GRANDE ISLAND, SITUATED ALONG SOUTHWEST COAST OF INDIA” is published in Journal named “Biodiversity & Evaluation: Perspectives and Paradigm shifts” in 2015. Paper is authored by G. B. Sreekanth, N. Manju Lekshmi, N. P. Singh and Ajey Patil. This study is important and we share its abstract for your information as under:

This research work was carried out to study and monitor the fish communities of Grande Island, an Island ecosystem in Goa, southwest coast of India through underwater visual census performed by SCUBA divers. For this, the diversity and abundance of fish communities were estimated from the natural reef patches of the Island. A total of 85 fish species were counted on natural reef patches of Grande Island. Both the species richness (7.5) and diversity (3.12) were comparatively high and it indicated that the natural reef patches of the Island holds rich and diversified fish assemblages. The high diversity and abundance of the species of fisheries importance in the Island ecosystem indicated that it support local fisheries. There were 25 ecologically less resilient fish species and 15 vulnerable fish species observed and it proved that the natural reef patches of Island provide shelter for vulnerable fish species. However, overexploitation of fishery resources might be resulted as the fishermen will be attracted to these rich fish habitats. Thus, an appropriate control measure is required in the form of policy to monitor and protect these ecosystems to ensure the fisheries sustainability of surrounding waters.

Now even as there is call for a policy to monitor and protect ecosystems around Grand Island 163^rd meeting held on 14^th November 2017, the GCZMA has gone ahead to forward MPT project of dredging of approach channel and dump dredged material near Grand Island to MoEF & CC as recorded as case no:4.9 in the minutes of the meeting.

What is worse is that Goa’s fisheries minister is silent on this and has not taken any note of the grave situation this will pose. This is really bad and terrible and needs immediate halt for the sake of protecting Goa’s Fisheries. Further we also want to share the conclusion of this study for you to know as under:

Our investigation recorded higher levels of species richness and abundance in natural reefs of Grande Island. Greater species richness, abundance and diversity of fish communities suggest that the Island provide unique, complex and heterogeneous habitat features for the diverse fish species. The Island was also abundant with fisheries important species and it contributes substantially to the local fishery resources…Thus, an appropriate control measure is required in the form of policy to monitor and protect the island ecosystem to ensure the fisheries sustainability of surrounding waters.

We are totally opposed to this decision of GCZMA and calls upon GCZMA to immediately withdraw its decision. We also call upon Fisheries Minister to

1.     Speak up and oppose this decision by writing to GCZMA as well as to MoEF & CC.

2.     To set up Fisheries Defense Study Cell within Directorate of Fisheries to get advance insights to defend Fisheries sustainability of Goa.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely,

Maggie Silveira,

President, Goa State

Sanjay Pereira

Convener, Cacra unit  

Rohidas Andrade

Convener, Bambolim unit

Socorro Braganza

Convener, Siridao Unit

Anthony Cardozo

Convener, Curca Unit

Sitaram Pereira

Convener, Odxel Unit

Milind Palkar

Convener, Nauxi unit

Ms. Kalpana Diukar

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit

Chandrakant Lotlikar

Secretary, Siridao Unit

Hanuman Dias

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit

Honu Divkar,

Co-convener, Odxel Unit

Deu Kankonkar

Secretary, Nauxi Unit

Yeshwant Shirvoikar,

Co-convener, Odxel Unit

Manguesh Sawant,

Co-convener, Odxel unit

Amir Mardolkar,

Co-convener, Nauxim Unit

Francis Coelho,

Co-convener, Nauxim Unit

Ms. Jaya Kuttikar

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit

Jonu Shirvoikar,

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit

Ms. Sheila D’mello,

Co-convener, Cacra Unit

Ashok Kukalkar

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit

Ganashyam Diukar

Co-convenor, Odxel

Uttam Martins

C0-convener, Odxel Unit

Rohit Hadkonkar,

Co-convenor, Bambolim Unit

Sanju Diukar

Co-convenor, Odxel Unit,

Chandrakanth Rosario

Co-convenor, Cacra Unit

Vijay Sawant

Co-convenor, Cacra Unit

Ragunath Sautodkar

Co-convenor, Cacra Unit

Mahadev Andre Rosario

Co-convenor, Nauxim Unit