The decision of the high court to push the sarpanchas of the village Panchayats in Goa to act in conformance with its directives of identifying and demolishing violators of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) in Goa has thrown up plenty of meetings, resolutions and demands from the affected owners of such establishments.
The Goenchea Ramponkarancho ekvott (GRE) an association of Goan fishermen, have already given a 15 day ultimatum to the government of Goa to solve the problem as regards to the notices issued by various panchayats around the state for demolition of houses which fall within 200 metres from the high tide line ( HTL) or face the consequences.
A reported 13,000 odd houses or establishments run the risk of being demolished due the notices served on them all along the Goan coastline in which an estimated 70,000 people claim to be residing at present.
Urging the government of considering December 2007 as the cutoff date for the purpose of regularisation, the GRE general secretary, Mr Mathany Saldanha implored the government to bring an ordinance to legalise the residential houses of fishermen and other coastal people thereby saving their residences.
Some other speakers reasoned that the Goan fishermen have been residing along the coastline since the colonial rule and cannot be asked to displace themselves as their livelihood depends on the sea.
Taking a dig at the government the speakers lamented that although the government promulgate an ordinance to protect jobs of 500 people in a Dona Paula based five star hotel, over 50,000 people people who are traditional fishermen of Goa residing for ages along the coastline are bring asked to abandon their age-old homes.
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