Panaji, Jan 28 (PTI) The Goa government on Wednesday said that two upcoming projects—Unity Mall and Prashasan Sthamb—will be set up on the outskirts of Panaji instead of Chimbel village, taking into account the sentiments of local residents.
Locals have been protesting against both projects for the last month, claiming a potential adverse impact on the traditional lake located in the nearby vicinity.
The state government had formed a committee comprising representatives from various agencies and protesters, which submitted its report on Wednesday.
State Tourism Department said that though the report mentions that both the projects are outside the zone of influence of the lake or wetland area, they would be shifted from Chimbel, considering the sentiments of people.
A survey about the zone of influence and wetland had commenced on January 23, involving representatives of villagers, experts, a hydrologist, an architect, officials of CSIR-NIO, expert members of the wetland authority, and tourism officials. The exercise concluded on January 28.
“During the comprehensive exercise, a thorough ground truthing was done to demarcate the catchment area, drainage lines, surface and sub-surface flows, vegetation cover, cultivation of the farmers, and springs as per the suggestions of the villagers,” according to a statement issued by the Tourism Department.
The government said that, besides the physical demarcation, assistance of high-definition drones was taken for understanding the contours of the land.
“Upon completion of the exercise, the draft report, along with the detailed maps were shared with the villagers and their advocate. From the survey, it was amply clear that the proposed site for the Unity Mall and Prashasan Sthamb not only falls outside the zone of influence of the Toyyar wetland, but also the catchment area that was mapped by the experts engaged by the villagers,” the department said.
The government said that although the project site is in a settlement zone, adjoining the national highway, the proposed state-run projects will be relocated, considering the sentiments and emotions of some villagers. PTI RPS NSK
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