Provisions in the budget for environmental protection must be taken to the logical end
In the backdrop of the transformation Goa is undergoing due to changes in land use, the proposals put up by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in his budget speech come as a breath of fresh air.
He announced the formulation of a wetland management plan under the aegis of the Goa Wetland Authority. Besides, the government will constitute Lake Management Committees through people participation to prepare integrated plans to protect notified wetlands. A scheme for the conservation and revival of salt pans has been proposed, which will be formulated through the Goa State Biodiversity Board. The Chief Minister also said that degraded mangroves will be restored on a mission mode basis through the Board. The proposed monitoring of tree health using AI also sounds good. Hopefully, tree cover will be maintained and a new afforestation programme will be launched. It is heartening to note that the chief minister has proposed vertical gardens as greening initiatives for addressing urban heat islands.
The beyond beaches concept mentioned in the budget speech may sound good, but the impact of nature trails and eco-tourism activities in wildlife sanctuaries will only be seen a few years after the projects are executed. Making statements of government moves to bring in investment in the tourism sector in the hinterlands may sound good, but care will have to be taken that the targeted villages are not destroyed by mass tourism. A positive statement by the CM seems to be on strengthening the Steering Committee of the TCP Department by involving multiple stakeholders and granting approvals for mega residential/commercial projects through this committee. Hopefully, this will help reduce approvals being given for mega projects in the state.
Another proposal from the environmental angle is the concept of beach nourishment. This, the chief minister said, will be taken up on a pilot basis for which the government will collaborate with Deltares, Netherlands, besides central government agencies. For now, a provision of Rs 1 crore has been made in the budget.
A striking point in the budget speech pertains to the protection of the identity of islands such as Divar and Vanxim and promoting sustainable tourism there. With the state tourism tapping various potential areas for attracting tourists, there are apprehensions that the verdant islands would be impacted by new activities which will come along with the tag “sustainable tourism”. Hence, it is appropriate that the chief minister has tried to allay apprehensions and assure that efforts would be made to protect the identity of these islands. But how will this be achieved? Protection of the identity of any village, more so of an island, is not going to be an easy task. The government will have to find a way if it is really interested.
Overall, the main thrust of the budget has been on giving a boost to tourism and industrial sectors. The Chief Minister has also rightly focussed on the green economy, enhanced public transport and public services, health, education and skilling. The Chief Minister deserves to be complimented for including in his Goa Budget more than 80% of the people’s suggestions on the budget compiled and published by The Navhind Times last Sunday. It showed the government’s endeavour to respect people’s sentiments and needs.
In the coming months, it would be good to see progress being made in the targeted areas. But protection of the environment and village identity cannot be overlooked at any cost.
