‘Enough is Enough’ seeks assembly discussion on agri land protection bill

Edited to 279 words.

Panaji: A four-member delegation from the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement met Goa governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju and submitted a 10-point charter on Friday. The members who are part of the movement’s core team urged Raju to convey their concerns to chief minister Pramod Sawant.

The main demand from the members of the movement is for govt to convene an assembly session to discuss ‘The Protection of Agricultural lands Bill’ introduced by the opposition in the legislature.

“We gave the governor our charter of demands and he is very sympathetic on the environment issue. He said that without the cooperation of the people and the govt to protect the environment, there will be nothing left after several years ,” core team member and senior advocate Norma Alvares told TOI.

The movement members said that they are disturbed by the brazen destruction of hill slopes. Former bureaucrat and core member Elvis Gomes said, “If permissions are not given for hill cutting then govt must take action. The violators should be arrested, machinery should be seized and they should be put behind bars.”

The delegation also added that the town and country planning department’s decision to impose fines of up to Rs 1 crore for hill cutting will not solve the problem.

“Just saying that you are going to impose fines for hill cutting will not solve the issue. Afterall, big builders are ready to pay big fines. They will make bigger money out of it. Fines are not the issue. The official permissions for land conversion and for cutting of hills based on contour plans that are not in agreement with the Surveyor of India plans,” said Norma Alvares.