Will seek amendment to NGT order on CRZ construction: Parrikar

The Goa government may move the National Green Tribunal (NGT) as well as think of approaching a legal forum seeking an amendment to a recent NGT order.
The NGT in its recent order to different states had banned any new activity in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) till a Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) was finalized.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said this in the State Legislative Assembly while responding to a query by party colleague Carlose Almeida over the construction of a fishing jetty in Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in Vasco town.
Parrikar, during Question Hour, said, "If required the state will approach NGT to amend their order so that it is not applicable for certain important projects. We can decide the permission for these projects on a case-to-case basis."

"If required we may go to any legal forum," he said without elaborating on which forum he was mentioning.
Parrikar said that the restriction imposed by the NGT order is in force between April this year to March next year and added that the state will complete its documentations about the jetty project by then.

Opposition benches including Congress legislators Chandrakant Kavlekar, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Luizinho Faleiro and NCPs Churchill Alemao tried to corner the government on the issue of construction of the fishing jetty which is being done with central funding.
Parrikar said that the operational control of the jetty will remain with the state government while MPT will monitor its construction as the project is financed by the union government.

Responding to a question about frequent clashes between MPT and local fishermen over the jetty, Parrikar said that the jetty is within port jurisdiction and there were complaints from MPT authorities that the fishermen were intruding in its area.
Parrikar claimed that 99.9 per cent people working on these trawlers are not Goans and are mostly from Jharkhand and Odisha, which makes it difficult to verify their credentials.
"Intrusion of fishermen becomes a security risk as the state fisheries department has failed to give identity cards to those working on the trawlers," he said.
He took a dig at the Congress party claiming that they (Congress) during their seven years rule in Goa (2005-2012) failed to get even Rs 100 crore from the Centre while BJP (2012-till date) has obtained Rs 15,000 crore from the centre for various projects.

The four day long assembly session began today which will culminate on December 18.