Panaji, Aug 6 (PTI) The Goa government on Wednesday said in the state assembly that it would carry out a study of the carrying capacity of villages to prevent demographic changes and ensure local resources
are not overstressed.
Goa Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho told the House that the government is contemplating to conduct a study of the carrying capacity of each village in the coastal state by taking other departments into confidence.
"We will work out a mechanism to study the carrying capacity of each village," Godinho said responding to a joint question tabled by Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai.
Ferreira, representing Aldona constituency in North Goa, pointed to a statement by former Union minister Suresh Prabhu, who had advocated for the study of carrying capacity of the villages in Goa, considering the increasing housing activity there.
The Congress legislator claimed that in the absence of identifying the carrying capacity, the villages will witness a change in their nature and character.
The mega housing projects being developed in these villages will change the demography, Ferreira said, adding that Goan villages are looked upon as second homes, the luxury homes.
Sardesai said various panchayats in their gram sabhas have adopted resolutions, appealing to the government to assess the carrying capacity of their respective villages.
Responding to the demands, Godinho said the government will work out a mechanism along with other departments to decide on the carrying capacity of each village.
He admitted that villages are becoming places for mega housing projects, thereby stressing the resources.
The local panchayats alone cannot assess the carrying capacity, hence other departments will also be taken in the loop, he added. PTI RPS GK
