PANAJI: The Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has granted an environmental clearance (EC) for the Unity Mall in Chimbel. However, local villagers are voicing their opposition, claiming it threatens the nearby lake and the aquifers situated on the hill.
The SEIAA approved the project with specific conditions, including the requirement for the developers to utilize treated water from the Tonca sewage treatment plant during construction. They have also been instructed to devise a comprehensive mobility plan to mitigate potential traffic congestion in the area.
“This is the same region bordering the designated Chimbel wetland lake where the government proposed the IT Park project in 2018,” stated Govind Shirodkar, chairman of the Chimbel Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC).
Residents have raised concerns regarding the negative impacts on the environment, local livelihoods, and the area’s hydrogeology, leading to their previous opposition to the IT Park proposal, which was ultimately rescinded.
With an EC recently issued for the mall, amounting to 20,855 sqm, and ongoing site work such as fencing, local tensions have flared up again. “Even the sarpanch has expressed support for the community, adopting a resolution against the project at the gram sabha,” noted local activist Ana Gracias.
Additionally, the Chimbel panchayat passed a resolution in their latest meeting opposing the project, alleging a lack of transparency and failure to consult the local governing body.
The project area encompasses forested and agricultural land surrounding the Chimbel lake, which once served as a water source for Panaji. Locals are organizing a rally from the village to protest against the project and the government’s proposed 17-storey Prashasan Sthamb at Toyar lake on Kadamba plateau this Sunday morning.
