PANAJI: The state government should direct Premlal Nanavati, a Gujarat-based advocate, whom the government has appointed to study the concession agreement for vessel traffic and port management system drafted by Mormugao Port Trust, to visit Goa and hold hearings with all political parties and other stakeholders before advising the government on nationalisation of rivers, says MP Shantaram Naik.
In a statement issued here on Saturday, the MP mentions that, on one hand MPT has clandestinely entered into an agreement with Inland Waterways Authority (IWA) on the issue of nationalisation of rivers, while on the other hand, surprisingly the government of Goa has appointed an advocate from Gujarat, presently looking after Amit Shah’s cases, to provide advise to it on draft prepared by the MPT.
He says that no individual or agency can advise the state government without understanding topography of the state, and, without understanding the sentiments and environmental aspects as regards these rivers.
According to him, the Law Department, with required assistance of experts from the field, would have been more suitable to examine river beds, river banks and surrounding areas rather than an advocate from Gujarat.
He says that after the meeting of MPT’s Board of Trustees held on Friday, chairman of MPT said that MPT will not usurp the powers of Captain of Ports and Goa government, and that, MPT is merely an executing agency and further that the MPT has informed the Goa government about the contents of MoU signed by it with Inland Waterways Authority.
The MP says that “in this context, the question arises as to when Goa government authorised the MPT to enter into any such contract with IWA, as regards Mandovi and Zuari rivers. And, if no such the authority is given, the same amounts to trespass by the MPT with respect to which, state government should take cognizance. As it is, there are land disputes between Goa government and MPT which have not been resolved.”
Naik wants to know whether Goa government has prepared any terms of reference on which the Gujarat lawyer will be asked to give his opinion.
He further says that the lawyer will have to give his opinion on the environmental aspects, effect of dredging on the livelihood of fishermen, amount that would be required for dredging each of the six rivers, right of the state government and central government on properties worth thousands of crores on the two sides of the rivers, type of infrastructure needed to be built on both sides of the six rivers, total period the dredging work of the six rivers would take, and whether state funding, central funding or PPP model would be ideal course of financing the relevant projects.
Goa government, it appears is going to put the state in a serious debt trap with the nationalisation six rivers, he adds.