Curtorim biodiversity site: Crucial info lacking, farmers’ queries unanswered, allege locals

In letter to Goa State Biodiversity Board, villagers seek clarity on Gazette notification from May 2022 suggesting that over 40% of Curtorim, including populated areas, would be included in the Biodiversity Heritage Site

Published on:

29 Dec 2023, 1:16 am

MARGAO: In a recent development, concerned residents of Curtorim have written to the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB), expressing apprehensions and seeking clarification on the proposed Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) project in their village. The letter, addressed to Pardip Sarmokadam, GSBB’s Member Secretary (MS) highlights alleged misinformation and raises a series of pertinent questions.

The letter, sent by Agnelo Azavedo, a Curtorim resident, recounts the Gram Sabha held on December 10, 2023, where discussions on the Curtorim BHS unfolded.

According to Azavedo, crucial information regarding the project was lacking, and key figures associated with the Curtorim Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) seemed unprepared to address the local community's concerns. He added that the Curtorim Sarpanch and panchayat secretary were also unable to give satisfactory replies to the gram sabha members.

One major point of contention revolves around the discrepancy between the proposed BHS area, as indicated in a document shared by a Curtorim BMC member and the Gazette Notification dated May 19, 2022. The document, titled "Proposal for Curtorim BHS|2016," displayed a plan (Fig 2.2) suggesting that over 40% of Curtorim, including densely populated settlement areas, would be included in the BHS. However, Azavedo pointed out that the Gazette Notification only mentioned lakes, omitting significant agricultural areas utilizing lake water for cultivation.

He also recalled that the local residents had asked that GSBB to send a team with comprehensive knowledge of the Curtorim BHS to the Curtorim panchayat ‘to show the public all the information including all the area that is proposed to be included in the Curtorim BHS, interact with the people, answer their queries and clear any doubts that they may be having.’

Additionally, Azavedo posed a series of questions to the Board, seeking clarity on the advantages and criteria for declaring a BHS, the involvement of the local population in formulating the BHS, communication with property owners, and the composition of any committees involved in drafting the BHS plan. Azavedo further urged the GSBB to share relevant details and correspondence between the Curtorim Panchayat and GSBB from the initiation of the BHS proposal in 2015 until the present. The request includes information on initial draft areas, subsequent modifications, and final drafts with legible survey numbers.

“Please send these details to the panchayat well in advance so that the public can go through them in detail and be ready with correct and proper queries when your team visits the panchayat,” Azavado added.