DONA PAULA: With the proposed Mhadei tiger reserve being opposed by certain sections, the state environment minister Aleixo Sequeira on Tuesday said the government will need to take into consideration the views of all stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Sequeira was addressing the inaugural of the Goan Youth Convention on Environment and Development organized by the Centre for Environment Education and the Goa Golden Jubilee Development Council at the Goa International Centre, Dona Paula.
"There are two voices on the issue of the tiger reserve: those in favour and those against. Such reserves require a buffer zone of 10 km and this is also making people apprehensive," said Sequeira.
"With the Salim Ali bird sanctuary at Chorao also having a 10 km buffer zone, I wonder if we can even move any stones in Panaji. Hence these issues need to be deliberated before a stand can be taken," said Sequeira.
But noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil, while addressing the media, was of the view that buffer zones of wildlife sanctuaries and reserves should be considered on a case-to-case basis and there is no need to apply a 10 km buffer zone everywhere.
When queried on the proposed Mhadei tiger reserve in particular, Gadgil-who has been a member of the official Tiger Task Force constituted by the Centre-said he will need to study the issue. In the same breath he called for better management of such reserves with the involvement of locals.
Pointing to environment impact assessment (EIA) reports submitted by mining companies to the government, Sequeira said these need not be true and hence the government will be re-inspecting the reports submitted so far. He felt that most reports were cut-and-paste jobs which didn't reflect ground realities.
"Because we were concerned, we wrote to the Centre not to grant any more environment clearances till the mining policy was in place," said Sequeira.
On the lack of a proper biomedical waste disposal system in the state, Sequeira said that the 4,000-5,000 sq m site identified at Dharbandora is being stalled due to local opposition.
Commenting on the flaws in the Regional Plan (RP) 2021, Sequeira said, "When RP 2021 was proposed there were many suggestions from people to change their respective zones from orchard lands to settlement and commercial zones. We believe monetary benefits were behind most of these suggestions."
Goa Foundation director, Claude Alvares, called on the youth to start rebelling on environmental issues. He claimed mining silt has destroyed the rivers and fields in Goa, yet mining production has increased. "The Goa CM and government have been installed by mining companies," he claimed.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tiger-reserve-only-after-all-views-taken/articleshow/9290055.cms
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