A ‘State within a state’, as all right-thinking Goans have called the literal usurping of large areas of traditional Goan land and institutions; has been created.
The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has now been renamed as Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) under the provisions of the Major Port Authorities Act (MPA), 2021.
Through a letter, the MPT Secretary has asked all Heads of Departments (HoDs) to initiate necessary action for making appropriate changes in the nomenclature of the port and also to effect necessary changes in the relevant documents, papers, letterheads and also inform the changes to authorities concerned, stakeholders, etc.
In pursuance of sub-section 1 of Section 3 of the Major Port Authorities Act (MPA), 2021 the Government of India had already constituted a new Board of Major Port Authority for the Mormugao Port. Hence, the existing Board constituted under the Mormugao Port Trusts Act, 1963 also ceased to exist from January 28 this year.
Provisions in the MPA 2021 are designed to accord unrestricted and arbitrary powers in the hands of the Port Board to carry out construction and development activities on its land assets and within port limits without any reference to local town planning and development laws and even permits privatisation of the port.
Environmentalist Adv Savio J F Correia said that the Major Port Authorities Act (MPA), 2021 is worrisome for Goa since the MPA will now be a ‘state within a state’ and the Goa laws will not be applicable to the MPA. Also the MPA need not obtain any permission from the government and local authorities for any kind of development within port limits.
Correia said that MPA has now absolute control of port limits and it can be incorporated and also listed on the Stock Exchange. “Due to this large corporates will buy shares and thus they will have control over our water and land area,” Correia said.
Source : Herald
