Drop 'as many villages as possible' from 'eco-sensitive areas' list: Goa govt urges central panel

Panaji, Nov 27 (PTI) The Goa government has urged a central committee to drop "as many villages as possible" from the list of ecologically-sensitive areas (ESAs) located in the Western Ghats in the state, a minister said on Wednesday.

A total of 108 villages in Goa have been identified as ESAs by the Union ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change earlier.

Talking to PTI, Goa's Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said the state government has told members of an expert committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that these villages do not fulfil the criteria for their inclusion in the list of ESAs.

The committee members have been on a four-day visit to the state starting Tuesday.

"The committee has arrived on the request of the state government to do the ground truthing of the villages that are in the list of eco-sensitive areas," he said.

"We have asked the committee to drop as many villages as possible from the eco-sensitive areas list as they do not fit in the criteria," Sequeira said.

The committee will meet Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant at the end of their visit, he said.

"We expect to meet them. During our discussion, we will push our case and get their opinion," he said.

Sequeira said there is anxiety among the local residents that declaration of villages as eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) will result in their eviction.

"But declaration of eco-sensitive areas does not mean even a single person would be made to vacate the area. An assurance has been given in this regard to the villagers," he said.

Their apprehension stems from the fact that there are so many people who talk about this subject without knowing much about it, the minister said.

"That is why there is anxiety. If you ask me, there are certain restrictions that would be imposed on the villages, other than that there is no issue," he added.

Giving an example, he said if mining is going on in these villages, then it will have to be phased out within a period of five years. "Fresh mining would not be permitted," he said.

According to him, CM Sawant has raised certain issues before the committee like, dependence on the minor minerals.

"We are dependent on minor minerals from these villages (listed as eco-sensitive areas)," he said.

The minister recalled that there was a time when Goa was dependent on Karnataka for the import of sand.

"If we ban the extraction of minor minerals, then we will have to be dependent on other states," he said. PTI