INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM WILL NOT TOUCH FOREST

A division Bench of the Bombay High Court (Panaji) comprising justice S.J. Vazifdar and Justice U.D. Salvi today passed an order recording undertaking given by the Goa Cricket Association that it would not fell any trees on the property or interfere with the plot on which the association is planning to erect the an international cricket stadium.

The Court also recorded the statement of GCA counsel that nothing would be done on the rest of the property until and unless all permissions and licenses were obtained by the association.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by Uday P. Mavlankar, Goraknath P. Mavlankar (both farmers from Thivim), Ashok Kuttu Parab (a component of the Sirsaim Communidade) and the Goa Foundation. All four petitioners approached the court with their petition to squash and set aside the forest clearance granted to the director of sports by the Ministry of Environment & Forests on 30th November, 2009 and final clearance on 23/10/2008.

The petition also seeks squashing of any orders under section 16 and 16A of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1974, if any, issued in connection with the project. Petition also seeks squashing of all proceedings by which 44,000 sq.mts of land of Sirsaim Comunidade have been taken over by the forest dept. through fraudulent proceedings of the Sirsaim Comunidade Managing Committee.

The Goa Govt. had acquired a total of 1,30,000 sq.mts of land at Thivim. Part of the land comprises paddy fields and part forest. The acquisition was done without mandatory NOC from the Town & Country Planning Dept. Permission to re-zone the land as Institutional Recreation Zone was rejected by the Government in 2007.

The land is zoned as eco-zone I under the Draft Regional Plan 2021 because of apddy fields and natural forest.

Though the land value was estimated at Rs.6.5 crores, the Sports Dept. on its own reduced it to Rs.50 lakhs.

The proposal to destroy the forest was made by the Director of Sports directly with the Ministry of Environment & Forests. The Goa Govt. at no time informed the Ministry of Environment and Forests that its application to fell the forest was being done at the behest of a private association. Guidelines for diversion of natural forest cannot be granted for residential buildings.

The Goa Cricket Association proposal envisages erection of a stadium which will house 50 thousand people and which houses multiplexes, club house, hotels and several restaurants. Apparently, the BCCI has promised the association Rs. 25 crores as its contribution to the project. However, the BCCI was never informed that a class I forest would have to be demolished for the project involving a total of more then 2500 trees. The GCA claims the stadium will be second in size only to Eden Gardens.

The petitioners have relied upon the assessment prepared by Heinz Lainer, author of the standard book Birds of Goa who has reported sighting of 113 species of woodland birds in the forest which is unparalleled in the whole of Goa east of the Western Ghats. These facts were not made known to the Ministry of Environment & Forest. According to Mr. Lainer, the woodland consists of areas of mature primary semi-ever green forest, secondary mixed forest and open woodland.

The petitioners have stated in their petition that they have no objection to the proposal for construction of int’l cricket stadium in Goa. However, in this particular case, they state there is no evidence that care was taken to locate the site without impinging on the forest or identifying any other site which did not require destruction of forest.

The petitioners have also stated in the petition that environment clearance for the project is mandatory and that no effort has been made by either the association or the govt. to seek the necessary clearance. Without EC, no work can start.

The Court has now posted the matter for further hearing till the 21st of June.

(Dr Claude Alvares)
Secretary

‘Over-mining will kill water sources, ruin agriculture in Goa’

JOAQUIM FERNANDES

Panaji, April 19, 2010: The mining boom in the hinterland of Goa, besides creating dust pollution and related health hazards, is also killing the water aquifers in the hills that are being mined and thus threatening agriculture in the hinterland talukas.

This is the consensus of a group of citizens and activists that went on an expedition to the mining belt on Sunday. The expedition was organised by the Goenchea Xetkareancho Ekvott (GXE), the Goa Federation of Mining Affected People (GOAMAP) and others. Starting from Quepem taluka, citizens in one bus and two cars visited the mining affected areas in the talukas of Sanguem, Ponda, Sattari and Bicholim.

Referring to the complete drying up of wells and natural springs and the consequent death of agriculture in Shirgao, Pissurlem and Advalpal, GXE president Deelip Hegde said, “These places in North Goa are already finished. But Sanguem and Quepem are in the first stages of destruction.”

“If the government does not regulate mining now, Goa is a gone-case,” said activist Bicholim-based activist Ramesh Gawas.

Entering Cavrem village in Quepem, the group sees a lot of greenery in the fields below. But above the fields are the ravaged, bleeding range of hills starting with “Devapan Dongor”. Writer and drama personality Hartman de Souza tells the group how the Paikachi Zhor and the sacred grove behind Devapan Dongor are now under threat. There are three mines on the hills and the fields below have already been sold, he says.

Just a little ahead in Maina village, De Souza relates a recent incident when the miners hit a water aquifer while cutting a hill and “there was a waterfall as wide as a car” that gushed for several days before drying up. Still further and a little before the government secondary school in Maina, De Souza shows on the left of the road, a low and long heap of mining dump. “It used to be a hill 3 years ago. I have climbed it. There were several natural springs in the area that used to flow into the Curca river. Now all have dried up,” De Souza says.

Vending its way through the forested landscape, the group sees the verdant majesty of the Western Ghats punctuated frequently by the red taint of mines. In the Collamb area of Sanguem, the group stops at the huge mining dump of the “Unanantlo Dongor” and Collamb-farmer Rama Velip steps forward to explain.

“This mine is illegal,” says Velip. “There is no environmental clearance for this mine. There was no agreement at the public hearing held in June 2008. This area has been demarcated as forest by the Sawant and Karapurkar committee and marked as no-development zone in the regional plan 2021. It has a slope gradient of 45 degrees. This falls in survey number 72 and permission from forest has been obtained for 12.90 hectare. It is within 5 kilometres from the Netravali wildlife sanctuary and 1.5 kilometres from the Salaulim reservoir. I went to our MLA Vasudev Gaonkar several times. But he has nothing to say,” says Velip.

Velip, described by many in the group as a “walking encyclopedia” of mining activity in Sanguem also states the name of the lease holder, but there is no signboard here and the name cannot be verified.

Velip further describes an incident where in another mining illegality, the Collamb farmers complained to the deputy conservator of forests in Margao. “The DCF was angry with us. But he sent the ACF who had tea with the mining people at their site and gave them a nominal fine.”

Further on in Chimmutwadda of Curpem village, the fields are a welcome sight. But beyond the fields and deep within the hills barely 100 metres from the Netravali wildlife sanctuary mining used to flourish until an NGO went to court and stopped it. Velip says that Curpem village alone has 17 mining leases of which only 4 are now operating.

With their vehicles crawling on a forest dirt track for what seems an eternity, the group has to finally stop. A 10-minute trek in the jungle brings the group to a large mining dump abandoned years ago. The group is told that the slurry and rejects from the nearby beneficiation plant was dumped here to form this hillock. One day, the heap collapsed burying a worker and a truck inside. The real shock sinks in when the group is told that this is inside the Netravalli wildlife sanctuary. Only after an NGO went to the Supreme Court, the dumping here was stopped.

All is quiet now at the huge mining-related plant in nearby Tudou village. The signboard at the gate announces this belongs to Chowgule and company private limited. The security men at the gate are visibly upset at the group’s arrival and forbid their entry past the barrier that blocks the road to the mines inside.

This is the site that hogged the news three days ago. The Supreme Court reportedly sealed this mine some years back. But the recent surge in demand rekindled interest in the dump of low grade ore inside. Deelip Hegde of the GXE says that despite the Supreme Court order, 400 truckloads of the ore were illegally taken out of this mine since April 12, 2010. When the GXE and other activists complained, the administration was reluctant to act, Hegde said.

The expedition drives past the towns of Curchorem, Sanvordem and Tisk-Usgao, all awash in red mining dust. One could easily believe that this area has the largest concentration of mining trucks in the world. Mercifully, it being a Sunday, the trucks are parked all along the roads and everywhere the eye can see. Past the green-turned-red hills of Pale, Velguem and other villages, the group is finally shown the mining activity on the range of hills from Mulgao to Shirgao.

When asked if these mines are legal, Ramesh Gawas shoots back. “All mines in Goa are illegal. They have all the papers. But do they follow the mandatory requirements in the papers? The environmental clearance states that the mining dump should not be more then 30 metres high. It also specifies the gradient. But not a single regulation is honoured. Also, the impact assessment studies of the mining companies submitted to the ministry of environment and forests state that there are no natural water sources in the area. Actually, there are six natural water sources here,” says Gawas.

GXE, GOAMAP and the others are planning more such expeditions for college students and other citizens to raise awareness on the dangers of over-mining and to force the government to take remedial measures.

Originally published in Times of India, Panjim on 20 April 2010.

Imprisoning Forest in Goa

I was in Colamb, Sanguem today and met up with Avelino Antao, a farmer in a Forest village for past decades in his forested surroundings. As we began talking about mining suddenly two officers of Goa Forest department crossed the nearby road. Avelino then started a conversation on state of forest in his village with particular reference to role of forest officers of Goa State. He narrated as to how natural forest in Colamb is being cut down by Goa Forest department and monoculture species are being planted. He believed that Forest department was acting foolish in this way. Avelino did not approve of this trend by the Forest department. Actually Forest department has been imprisoning natural forest in Colamb and elsewhere in Goa. This needs to be reversed and new trend must be started, a trend of letting natural forest to Grow.

In Colamb in the past few months 14,000 trees have been chopped down with the permission from Forest department. This is the case of Palondikar mine which is operating in full swing without Environmental Clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF). It is matter of serious concern that Goa Forest department has become darling of miners. Several thousand hectares of land has been parceled to mining companies all over Goa to mining companies. Regional Plan 2010 has details on this. Goa government has even been arguing that there is no need for buffer zone for sanctuaries. It appointed a high powered committee headed by senior bureaucrat Rajiv Yadhuvanshi which suggested zero kilometers as buffer zone for wildlife sanctuaries in Goa. This cleared way for miners in Goa to start digging and ripping the earth apart. Central government thankfully has rejected this nasty proposal of Goa government that meant total surrender to the mining industry. Earlier Goa Chief Conservator of Forest Shashi Kumar went to Delhi some months back and argued at the Wildlife board of India that permissions be granted for mining projects within buffer zone of the sanctuary. Shashi Kumar looks as if he is a public advocate of mining industry that is bent upon destroying Goa's forests. and of course it is well know fact that Forest department is well known collaborator of wiping out of any traces of tigers in Goa and persecute those who stand in defense of ecology like Rajendra Kerker. Now even inspite of villagers of Cavrem declaring that there exists tigers in Quepem western forests, Forests department is denying the reports. The intentions of Goa's forest department can be described as 'vicious' at best. It is a front ranking ally of the nefarious mining industry in Goa.

It is well known fact as to what are the intentions of Forest department of Goa is: to aggressive imprison Goa's forest through monoculture and mining. There is a need for massive overhauling in the constitution of Forest department in Goa. Currently forest department in Goa is an agency of exploitation par excellence. We have to join hands to change this situation with vigilance and organised action.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Blasting in Colamb mine

According to the reports received from Milagrine Antao in Colamb Fomento mining company carried on blasting of explosives inside the Hiralal Khodidas mine yesterday April 20, 2010 at around 9.00 am. It may be noted that blasting inside the mine is banned by law.

In order to confuse people of the village about the blast the sound of the machinery is increased in volume and blast carried on when sound pitched at higher level.

In the meanwhile Milagrine Antao complained about the fuel pump installed few meters away from her paddy fields would have disastrous effects on her and other people's agricultural fields nearby. The fuel pump is being used to fill diesel for the mining trucks plying on Fomento mine form 5.30 am in the morning there by disrupting life of the villagers.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Goa struggles remembered in Bolivia

Update From the People’s World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth’s Rights, Bolivia 19^th April

A call to the ‘people’ and people of the world responded

The official inauguration of the Peoples world conference on climate change and the rights of mother earth, is scheduled for the 20^th, but on Monday the 19^th, the streets of the ‘Andean’ city of Cochabamba have come alive with a meriad shades of the Latin American indigenous people mingling freely with those from other continents. Four months ago, Copenhagen was looking very official, very ‘Statish’, with hundreds of police personnel at every corner – ready to shut out any protesting action. Four months later, it is the peoples movements, civil society … who have started deliberating with concern and care, and with the enormous knowledge base of communities and societies in countries & continents.

From the very long Q’s leading to the municipal hall for accreditation, which was being handled by bunch of young and helpful ‘activists’ gathered from several countries, to the hundreds of display booths & kiosks, it was free expression of free people written all over. It is people reclaiming what should be theirs. There were a few police men & women here & there, but no one at any point was trying to drive home the hierarchies of State power.

The 17 working groups – on different issues like defining mother earths rights, on indigenous communities, on technology transfer, Were meeting right from morning 9 am in different halls, or Sala’s of the Universidade de valle – Univalle in short, trying to come out with what all these issues should focus on based on the perceptions, knowledge & experiences of the ‘common human’ . It is reported that about 70 governments have responded to the call by Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma, but there were no official hierarchies visible.

Also striking was the difference with COP15 in Copenhagen, was how much these people’s deliberations were central to the whole process. In the Bella centre during COP15, large networks of grass-roots people’s organizations were given one or minutes each – to intervene in the official negotiations on different issues, and they had to prepare days in advance for that one minute. Here, the primary deliberations, the agenda is being set by these very grass-roots groups, with intense discussions about how humanity must rediscover its umbilical bonds with mother nature, how the relationship between communities and between nations must be on the basis of justice & equity.

In the Hall of Culture (sala cultura), in a well attended session on People Speak out, the indigenous leader Florian was explaining how serious a challenge it was to people & their environment in the lake lands of Bolivia – by the mining companies digging for Tin inside the Uru basin. Over 300 mining activities have polluted all available water sources, exhausted the ground water from upper aquifers, and caused large scale diseases & deaths. And it was not only the human beings, many other animals too – which were being born deformed, abnormal. The indigenous communities of kochi picala, kavari, isway, sora, colcaya, yucari, .. all got together under the banner of CORIDUP, and started peoples resistances against these companies. They have also started a ‘museum’ of these unnatural / deformed animals – to constantly remind people and their representatives that something is seriously wrong with these all-polluting mining operations, and these are mother nature’s warning signs. But the indigenous communities are not yet demanding a total closure of these mines – which provide the locals with some jobs – only mining with all environmental regulations followed.

The story reminded us about the struggles in Niyamgiri, in Goa, in Chhattishgarh. The difference in Bolivia of the new century is that these struggles have started getting recognized by the ‘plurinational’ state of Bolivia, and profit-driven corporate plundering the Earth are being challenged on an ever larger scale. The large mining companies Sinchinyara, San Lucas, Avicaya, Estalsia etc were forced to implement effluent treatment measures after the inspection by ministers accompanied by CORIDUP representatives proved their guilt, and the people are getting encouraged to have support to their struggles from the State. What a difference from Niyamgiri, Kalinganagar, Raigad etc struggles back home in India – where the State is actively conniving with the plundering corporate. What a difference one ‘people’s president’ and a sensitized administration can make !

The session organized by the Beyond Copenhagen coalition from India on the issue of ‘Bringing Agriculture to The Centre of Climate Negotiation’ – at the Sala Idiomas in the Informatica building was not very well attended, but became alive with many participants taking part in the questions, posers, their experiences from their homelands. After three brief presentations by Soumya Dutta from SADED, Whtney from the Brighter Green campaign and Ajay Jha of PAIRVI, there were a large no of questions and real participation by the participants. Ana Maria from Peru explained how they have started a campaign called farm to table, addressing the Food-Climate Change problem in multiple ways. Chaitanya from Canada talked about how the huge meat consumption in north-America is being tackled by their groups. .

The animated discussions in the different ‘indoor’ workshops and sessions were out-matched by the colourful enthusiasm outside. There were scenes of people from different continents sitting on the lawns and sharing experiences of their struggles, their successes and their hurdles. There was a large no of Latin American indigenous peoples groups in their colourful costumes, some coming down from the famous Altiplano with their Llamas & Alpacas. There were farmers movements making their presence felt in more ways than one.

One recurring difficulty that non-Spanish speaking people faced was the paucity of volunteers and officials who understand and speak English, inspite of all of these people going out of their way to help the conference participants. It was a striking realization that is not only a President, or a State who is /are hosting this world people’s conference, it is a whole nation of people who feels and acts as the host. From the ease & courtesy that we experienced at the airports and immigration – arriving without any visa except a printout of the conference registration no, to the warm welcome and guidance at every street & square of Cochabamba – it was a new realization, that the democratic State is not the master of its people, but a trustee for all its citizen. It was a new realization that the nation-State borders are to be seen as mere conveniences of governance, not instruments of exploitation and denials.

Soumya Dutta, South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracy (SADED) / BJVJ