The tiny state of Goa, ‘discovered’ as a charming, unspoilt holiday destination in the 1970s, has grown into one of the country’s best known tourist destinations both for domestic and foreign visitors. What began as a trickle of discerning holiday seekers who revelled in the peace and quiet of Goa’s many beaches, heritage homes and churches, and distinctive cuisine, has snowballed into aggressive holiday resort as real estate developers realising its potential and moving in with luxury hotels and residential properties.
‘Eco-tourism’ presumably means ensuring that the pressures on the environment in places that are overrun by tourists are minimised, non-existent, or enhance not destroy the environment.
Yet, a group of 35 NGOs and the Catholic Church in Goa announced on December 28, 2010, that they would oppose Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s proposed eco-tourism zones. They allege that the plan is to permit large-scale real estate development under the guise of ‘eco-tourism’.
“The eco-tourism zones are carved out in such a way that they will benefit some hotel developers. It’s amply clear that the zones are created in the regional plan in spaces that are already purchased by hoteliers,” Yatish Naik, convener of Pilerne Citizens Forum, which is leading the campaign, said at a press conference in Panaji.
The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a wing of the archdiocese of Goa, has backed the campaign.
Naik alleged that the eco-tourism zones have been surreptitiously slipped into the government’s Regional Plan 2021, which was released a few weeks ago. The 35 NGOs will launch a statewide agitation against the zones, he said.
There is scepticism about the government’s intentions with regard to ESZs (eco-sensitive zones) on another count too. The concept has only recently been introduced in the regional plan, though for only two talukas, Pernem and Canacona. Protection and preservation of the environment have been enshrined in various Acts over the years, but here, for the first time, is an explicit statement that ESZ-I and ESZ-II areas in Goa constitute about 80% of the area, and that no intervention in ESZ-I and very limited intervention in ESZ-II areas would be permitted.
ESZ-I covers government and private forests, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, mangrove forests and waterbodies. It constitutes 54% of Goa’s area. ESZ-II, comprising paddy fields and khazans, command areas, salt pans and heritage zones, constitutes 26% of Goa’s area.
Government and private forests occupy 72% of area under ESZ-I. Thus, forests are the most important constituent of ESZ-I. Yet, there is no policy statement on mining in the plan. A taskforce report recommended that mining operations within 1 km of waterbodies and water sources should be phased out in three years, and mining in other forest areas in five years. But the regional plan is silent on this recommendation.
Activists say that not mentioning the mining policy in relation to ESZs dilutes the whole ESZ concept. Goa’s chief minister had informed a meeting of the Goa Environment Protection Council that the state government had formulated a mining policy document but was waiting for the central government to complete changes in the Mineral Metal Regulation Development Act before finalising it.
The tiny state of Goa, ‘discovered’ as a charming, unspoilt holiday destination in the 1970s, has grown into one of the country’s best known tourist destinations both for domestic and foreign visitors. What began as a trickle of discerning holiday seekers who revelled in the peace and quiet of Goa’s many beaches, heritage homes and churches, and distinctive cuisine, has snowballed into aggressive holiday resort as real estate developers realising its potential and moving in with luxury hotels and residential properties. The onslaught on the environment and ecosystem of what is essentially a small state has been savage and unrelenting — with legal and illegal mining too playing a part. Local activists and civil society have been pushing hard for protective measures and laws.