Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jan 3: Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice (Retd) Ferdino Rebello, whose call for a people’s movement to stop the “destruction of Goa” through rampant land conversions and hill cutting has resonated across the State, has now convened a meeting on January 6 at the Institute Menezes Braganza in the capital.
Justice Rebello said the meeting, scheduled for 3.30 pm, will deliberate on a draft People’s Charter prepared by him to take the idea of a mass movement forward. The charter seeks to unite Goans against wholesale land sales, illegal hill cutting and unchecked development.
In an appeal issued on Friday, Rebello said the overwhelming response to his call reflected the “collective anguish” felt by Goans for their homeland. He urged citizens to stand together to safeguard the State for future generations.
The initiative has received strong backing from Opposition parties, including the Congress, Goa Forward Party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Revolutionary Goans (RG). AAP MLA Venzy Viegas and RG MLA Viresh Borkar said Goa’s culture and environment were being degraded in the name of development.
“Justice Rebello’s call is right. If everyone supports it, a mass movement will emerge quickly,” they said.
State Congress president Amit Patkar also endorsed the initiative, stating that if a people’s movement is formed to fight CRZ violations, hill cutting and casinos in the Mandovi, the Congress would join it “with strength”.
Rebello’s intervention has added momentum to long-standing concerns raised by environmentalists over large-scale land conversions, particularly in coastal and hilly areas. The January 6 meeting is expected to draw activists, lawyers, students and ordinary citizens, potentially giving shape to a united grassroots movement.
Calling it a moral duty, Rebello said, “We must safeguard Goa for our children and grandchildren,” urging Goans to act as proud and vigilant citizens committed to preserving the soul of the State.
With Opposition parties lending support, the proposed movement has gained political heft. The coming week could mark the beginning of a new campaign to protect Goa’s environment, echoing the spirit of the ‘Goa Bachao Abhiyan’ launched nearly two decades ago.