PORVORIM: There was an uproar in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday over the proposed Marina project at Nauxim village in Bambolim, with Opposition MLAs highlighting the potential damage to the environment and livelihood of local fisherfolk.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had earlier stated that the Marina project was a ‘green project’, claiming that it was needed in the State as it would create jobs.
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said that the government will study various aspects of the Marina project before granting permissions.
Replying to a starred question tabled by Velim MLA Cruz Silva, Sequeira said that the project proponents of the Marina at Nauxim have submitted a fresh proposal for the project again on the Parivesh Portal of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for environmental and other clearances on July 11, 2024. The government will study the proposal and take a decision on the project, he said.
Silva said the marina would have a negative impact on the environment and destroy the livelihoods of the local fishermen. He wanted to know the view of the State government on the project in terms of the damage it will cause to the ecology of the coastal area, including the entire Zuari Bay and the villages along the coastline of Tiswadi and Mormugao talukas.
Sequeira said, “The government has not taken a decision on the project till today. The application was uploaded on the Parivesh Portal on July 11. We therefore require time to study the proposal. We will study and accordingly take a decision after studying various aspects including the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report.”
Did MPT have authority to lease Nauxim waterfront to marina developers in 2010, asks Vijai
PORVORIM: Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai raised the issue of the ownership of the waterfront and whether the then Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), now renamed Mormugao Port Authority (MPA), had the requisite legal authority to sign the lease with M/s Kargwal Construction Private Limited, Mumbai, to develop a marina at Nauxim, Bambolim. The lease agreement was signed in 2010, when the land did not belong to the MPT, he said.
Minister Sequeira said that he will discuss the issue of ownership of the land with the Advocate General.
Fisheries Union calls on MLAs representing Zuari coastal constituencies to speak up on marina issue
MARGAO: The All-Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) wants other MLAs in whose constituencies the marina project will have an impact, to speak on this issue in the Assembly.
The AGSSRFU considers it a positive development that the marina discussion has reached this level of debate in the State Legislative Assembly. The union hopes that MLAs representing the Zuari coast, who are directly affected, will also speak up at the opportune time. These include St Cruz BJP MLA Rudolf Fernandes, Cortalim independent MLA Antonio Vas, who is supporting the BJP government, Taleigao BJP MLA Jennifer Monserrate, and Panjim BJP MLA and Cabinet Minister Atanasio Babush Monserrate.
The legislative question was raised by MLA Cruz Silva, with several other MLAs also voicing opposition, including Viresh Borkar, Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Vijai Sardesai, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao.