NINE YEARS OF THE RIVER PRINCESS, NOTHING MUCH HAPPENING!!!

It’s NINE YEARS on June 6th 2009! One day after World Environment day! So called environment protecting governments have come and gone. The River Princess still stands there waiting to devour the people living on the coastline. Already bared of their livelihood due to the extensive erosion forced by it, it is threatening to send the seawater in this monsoon, according to many experts, to cause damage to life, property and may be even deaths! Nothing happened all these years. It is only after the formation of the River Princess Hatao Manch that things have started moving. Sadly governments wake up from their deep slumber only after the people come on the streets.  Still nothing much has happened till date. Our aim has not yet been fulfilled.

ANTI-EROSION MEASURES: After constant pushing from all levels, the contract was finally awarded by the Water Resources Department for beach protection (anti-erosion measures, a 6 crore plus project) via GEO-TUBES in the first week of May 2009. It started and stopped equally with a bang inspite of full support of the villagers. The reason: The infighting between the contractor, the expert sub-contractor doing the job and the Water Resources Department. The sub-contractor was allegedly sacked and the contractor, with no experience, started the work at the Kingfisher Villa, leaving the rest of the beach to erode, on whose instructions, one wonders!! The villagers had to step in again, gherao the Water Resources engineers, and settle their issues. This happened on the 3rd of June 2009. Why have we to fight at every level? The work has begun again with only 2 teams! With a good workforce the process of putting the Geo-Tubes on the beach would have been completed within 15 days since the weather was good and there was an enough patch of beach to lay the tubes. Now since the bad weather has begun the concerned people are showing willingness to the work, but blame the bad weather. But the government always has different ideas. As per the consultant’s directives, the tubes have to be put into the sea inorder to break the strength of the waves. Due to bad weather it is difficult to do it now. We hope that the said work of laying of the tubes will be done immediately with a larger workforce since the work order has been already issued.  
 
HIGH COURT: On the court side, we are seeing a ping pong game. From one court to the other. No order on the WRIT PETITION filed by the River Princess Hatao Manch! We humbly pray that the Honourable High Court will separate all monetary issues from the issue of the removal of the River Princess and HEAR THE WRIT PETITION NOW CONVERTED TO A PIL, and pass an order for its instant removal, the case coming for hearing on the 10th of June 2009. It was disheartening to hear the counsel of Jaisu Shipping claiming that they have completed 70% of the work. In fact they have done nothing at all. Not a single hole on the ship has been patched up nor is there any trace of any other salvage work been done. It is very scarry to imagine the presence of the ship for another year. We sincerely hope that the Honourable High Court will come to our rescue and is not going to wait to allow the sea water to enter the houses (now barely 200mts away from residences of the locals, and closer during the full moon days. It was nearly a kilometer away earlier) to order the removal of the menace. We are sure the The Honourable High Court is not going to give an opportunity to the citizens to blame itself, as the ecological disaster in the waiting is threatening to become a reality. If The High Court can give orders for the removal of the River Princess, we have set the scene at the government level to issue the work order by the end of June so that the removal process can begin as soon as the monsoon is over.

STATE DISASTER: The government finally declared the River Princess a State Disaster via a notification on the 6th of April 2009. Inspite of getting a clearance from the Election commission the Advisory committee has refused to meet even once; its term expiring on the 6th of June 2009. An application under RTI was filed a month ago, asking for the Disaster management plan for our people if the sea water comes in and for the minutes of the meeting of the advisory committee and the State disaster management committee. But sadly the PIO, Revenue has refused to give information, evident from the expiry of the 30 day period. On the other hand it has been found out that the PIO Revenue has passed the buck to the District Collector quoting Sec 6(3) of RTI. On enquiry in the collector’s office on the 3rd   of June 2009, they claim that they have nothing to do with the forwarded application. A complaint to this effect for action on the concerned officers has already been submitted to the First Appellate Authority.

We fervently appeal to all concerned to co-operate in saving our lives by removing the River Princess at the earliest and that we will not tolerate anyone coming in our way as it has now turned out to be a do or die battle for us.  

                                                                                    Verner Costa Frias
                                                                                           Secretary
                                                                             Villagers of Candolim-Sinquerim