----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your family members, relatives, neighbours and friends. Help others be BETTER INFORMED ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN launches Environment Monitoring & Rapid Action Cell on World Environment Day -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) has resolved on World Environment Day to set up a Environment Monitoring & Rapid Action Cell to equip village based consumer forums to report environmental violations and will extend its activity to the National and International level to implement the "Polluter Pays Principle".
GOACAN has taken this decision, after its week long campaign GRAMSABHA ZAGRUT ZA assessed, that the resident consumers in the villages of Goa are paying a heavy price due to indiscriminate hill cutting, tree felling, filling of fields & ponds, polluting of ground water and spread of malaria. The Goan consumer is paying this price due to the greed of local companies in collaboration with Indian big business seeking to make huge profits through the mega housing projects for the rich & famous of the metro cities of the country and luxury tourists interested in expensive rent back apartments. The Goan consumer has also to bear the social & economic costs, as the promoters of these mega housing projects are pushing the Goa Govt. to licence Casinos, Golf Courses, Massage Parlours and Night Clubs so as to fulfill the dreams of their potential clients buying properties in the "Hawaii on the West Coast of India". The focus of activity of the Environment Monitoring & Rapid Action Cell will be to curb the damage to the environment, threat to the peace & quiet of residential areas and loss to consumers in medical and other expenses caused by unscruplous Builders, Real Estate & Construction Companies, Tour Operators and Hoteliers. The Environment Monitoring & Rapid Action Cell will train consumers to report violations to authorities like the Town & Country Planning Department, Department of Science, Technology & Environment, Goa State Coastal Regulation Zone Management Authority and Goa State Pollution Control Board as well as to reach strategic information to potential buyers and tourists worldwide. Meanwhile GOACAN concluded its weeklong Citizens Awareness Drive to make democracy work for Goa and its environment by holding an awareness action today on the ocassion of World Environment Day in Panjim in which Consumer Forum volunteers distributed information slips to citizens calling upon them to participate in the decsision making process in the village Panchayat. Earlier GOACAN submitted a memorandum to the Chief Town Planner Mr. Morad Ahmed of the Town Country Planning Department highlighting the non implementation of the Chief Secretaries Order of 13/2/07 and the indiscriminate hill cutting that is being carried out in different parts of Goa. The memo pointed out that at many construction sites of the mega housing and infrasturcture projects the mandatory notice board has still not been displayed giving details of the Builders & Contractors name & address, land conversion sanad, the various licences / NOC's from the Panchayat, TCP etc. This makes it difficult for the local residents to gets details so as to verify approved plans, licences & NOC's and report violations to the concerned authorities. In the case of hill cutting, the GOACAN memo has demanded that the the mandatory notice board be displayed at the site giving details of the Contractors name & address, the licences from the TCP and the area allowed for hill cutting. ---------------------------------------------------------- GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK ---------------------------------------------------------- promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa ---------------------------------------------------------- GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------------------
