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GOENCHO EKVOTT expressed itsanguish over Power Minister Mr. Nilesh Cabral ‘s recent statement supportingTamnar and trying to find fault in the recommendations by the Supreme Courtappointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC). By his unwarranted statements theMinister for Power has belittled the status of the highly qualified members ofthe CEC, more so when Mr. Nilesh Cabral is also the Minister for Environment, aministry that he has miserably failed to protect. Chief Minister Dr. PramodSawant categorically stated on the floorof the house that the Administration is obliged to implement CEC recommendations.Senior Electrical Officers from his department are very foresighted regardingbenefits of Tamnar but lacked similar approach in laying Underground HV/LVcables specially along the Coastal villages which are prone to cyclonic windsresulting in disruption of the local area network which the Goa electricitydepartment is yet to restore in most villages across Goa. Goencho Ekvott Convener Mr.Creson Antao said that “We would like to remind our dear Minister for Powerthat his party was in ruling Goa for the past over eight (8) years in the lastdecade and he should come up with data about the underground HT/LT power cablethat has been installed constituency wise in kilometres. When the rulingdispensation priorities are way out from the basic public benefits, suchgrossly wrong policy like the Tamnar Transmission Lines and mis-plannedutilization of funds comes to fore when such natural calamities occurs”. Joint Secretary Mr. OlencioSimoes stated that Cabral should have been the first person in Goa defend thedestruction planned via Western Ghats through the Tamnar projects as he is theEnvironment and forest Minister but rather protecting the world UNESCO heritagesite he is batting for destruction of our forests. Stating further that Cabral should learn form his successor speciallyfrom late Manohar Parrikar who had launched the Ujala scheme in which 15 lakhs LED bulb were distributedfor free and due to this 78.56 million units of power were saved annually,therefore Cabral rather batting for disastrous Tamnar project where hundreds thousand corers will be spent for newpower line by causing irreversible destruction to Western Ghats and Mollemwildlife Sanctuary. The Minister should rather work for setting up of betterinfrastructure and make Goa first 100% underground cabling state and setup a400Kv Solar power plant which will notonly save our environment but also be economical too ,therefore the Ministershould drop the Tamnar 400kv tansmission line in totality. Olencio also stated that the demandedthat “Government should access the damage caused by the cyclone to thecoastline, the sand dunes, flora and fauna. This rich Bio-diversity along thecoastline needs to be preserved and appropriate steps need to be taken torestore and prevent further damages to it. Local Bio-diversity committee andGoa State Bio-diversity board needs to be involved in such restorationplanning”. Founder of Goencho Ekvott Mr.Orville Dourado Rodrigues reminded the government that “Thousands of trees havebeen uprooted during the recent cyclone. The Forest department should have bynow started an afforestation drive to compensate for the loss of tree cover.With favorable monsoon season round the corner we urge the Citizens of Goa totake up planting of trees and not to depend on our administration who areinstead busy purchasing municipal councillor’s as was recently experienced inQuepem, Mapusa and other towns. Due to the climatic changes onaccount of global warming, the Arabian sea is undergoing drastic temperaturevariations and such cyclones could be a regular phenomena and residents shouldbe prepared to protect our land that has been lovingly tended to by ourancestors. The very basic aim of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) was toplan for such natural calamities in advance. But due to greed of ourpoliticians and incompetent Government officials, this plan is utilized more tobuild or approve illegal construction even in the No Development Zone (NDZ)areas as in the recent case at Vaiginim beach”. On Goa Statehood Day, GoenchoEkvott and it’s various supporting organisations renew their commitment to theState & people of Goa, to safeguard the interests of it’s people, and itsrich flora & fauna which is to be destroyed primarily for the benefit ofcorporates JSW and Adani with funds drawn from the public exchequer. -Sd- -sd- Joint secretary Mr. Olencio Simoes Founder of GoenchoEkvott Engr. Orville Dourado Rodrigues | | | | | -sd- Mr. Creson Antao (Convener) Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
