*Goa Bachao Abhiyan* [email protected]
* Press Note 20th August 2017* *THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT DECLARES WAR ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR GOA BY MISCHIEVOUSLY REMOVING GOA FROM THE JURISDICTION OF THE PUNE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL, WESTERN ZONE, AND PLACING IT IN DELHI, NORTHERN ZONE. THE GOA BACHAO ABHIYAN CONDEMNS THIS MOVE AT SIDELINING THE GOANS IN THEIR QUEST FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.* In a demonstration of the worst possible and arbitrary manipulation directly against the people and the spirit of the Constitution, the MOEF through its Extraordinary Gazette Notification - Part II- Section 3- sub section (ii) dated Friday 11th, August 2017, has removed Goa from the Western Region jurisdiction of the National Green Tribunal and placed it directly under the Northern Zone jurisdiction in Delhi. This move is akin to ignoring and removal of Statehood status of Goa, and placing it directly under control of the Centre once again. The illogical manner in which this has been done bodes ill for Goa, as it surely has been done to stop Goans from accessing environmental justice in a way that was affordable to them, and pave the way for massive planned projects that seek to damage Goa in ways we have not imagined. The Centre in collusion with our local Government has already indicated interest in building a slew of multi-lane highways, many that will slice through Goa's green zones, and is still keen on making Vasco port a coal trans-shipping hub. The National Green Tribunal Act 2010, is visionary in its implementation, empowering people by making environmental justice accessible much like the introduction of RTI and the Consumer Forum. It deals with all Central Environmental Acts and ever since its recent establishment of the Western Zone court in Pune in 2013, has become popular with those seeking justice from ill conceived development in Goa. Issues like pollution, coastal zone and forest violations were increasingly taken up by locals who were emboldened by its seemingly incorruptible and logical methods, arguing cases for themselves or their villages using documents and affidavits, often with help from legal advisors in Goa. Pune is affordable and an overnight journey, allowing people to handle cases themselves, so much so that a majority of cases, above 40%, were from Goa. This highlights either the environment spiritedness of Goans, or the sheer scale of violations or both in relation to the size of the state, considering that Maharashtra and Gujarat are the only other two under the jurisdiction of the Western Zone. While the local Government complains that its officers spend too much time standing in for cases, on reading many of the Applications it is evident that due process is almost always violated by Government departments, and we ask the Government why. The ramifications of this mischievous move are serious and unconstitutional by deliberately placing the environmental tribunals of justice beyond reach. It can be imagined as if the High Court were taken out of Goa and placed in Delhi, with no reasoning behind it. Inequity and environmental degradation are proven indicators of social unrest, and the move to weaken environmental safeguards is something that should worry every citizen, and the Government itself if it had the future of India in mind. Evidently not. The GBA urges the citizens of Goa to make their displeasure known to the Minister for Environment & Forests and clearly let their local elected representatives know this is unacceptable. This move must be stopped. Sabina Martins - Convenor Reboni Saha - Secretary
