Mumbai  : ‘Swarajya Bhumi Kokan Festival’ which is currently taking held from 6th to 9th December at Goregaon Nesco Complex saw a rousing panel discussion on Fisheries, Environment and Conservation at the morning session of Day 2. Shri. Mahesh Devre (Divisional Deputy Commissioner, Head of Konkan Division, Fisheries Development Department, Government of Maharashtra.) Shri. Virendra G Tiwari (Additional Ward Conservator, Mangrove Cell Mumbai) Dr. Ben V Clement (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Western Region, Mumbai) and Shri. Vivek Kulkarni took part in the panel discussion.

The grand event was flagged off yesterday by Honorable Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of several other dignitaries. The discussion covered topics like Mangroves in Kokan and Tourism, Nature Conservation in Western Ghats, Project Tiger in Sahyadri, and more.

While talking in the panel Shri. Sanjay Yadavrao shared, “Emphasis should be placed on the sustainable development of Konkan. An action plan for various industries like fisheries, tourism etc needs to be drawn and how the industry can be increased if the people from Kokan region are involved. A special development authority like ‘Kokan Development Authority’ needs to be appointed which can work on coastal development, eco-sensitive roads and infrastructure development in the Sahyadri hills, eco-tourism villages and more.”

Shri. Mahesh Devre (Divisional Deputy Commissioner, Head of Konkan Division, Fisheries Development Department, Government of Maharashtra), shared “Fisheries is a sunrise sector  for development  of Kokan and  Economy needs to be driven taking into consideration ecology. Today fishermen get loans at a low interest, everyone from a fish co-operative  societies to fishing boat owners can avail. QR based aadhar card is given to fishermen to ensure their safety. E-shram card can be used to get insurance. We need the fisherman to be alert, which will ensure the safety of our county and help us protect the vast coastline.

Mr. Virendra G Tiwari, (Additional Ward Conservator, Mangrove Cell Mumbai) said “Mangroves are very important for irrigation. There are mangroves in 1200 villages in Maharashtra. We have established 300 self-help groups in these villages and provided employment to around 3000 people and eco-tourism has also started in 10 villages in the region. Environment conservation will lead to employment generation.”

Dr. Ben Clement, (Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Western Region, Mumbai) added “There are several tiger sanctuaries in Maharashtra. The struggle between man and wildlife is gaining momentum. The government has recommended relocation in certains areas, I feel instead of relocation, there is a need to work at the grassroot levels to spread awareness about Conservation in the region which will definitely help with the tourism in the area.”

Mr. Vivek Kulkarni (Conservationist) said, ”It shouldn’t be environment or development, it should be development with environment which is the need of the region. Kokan has stories, it has history, it has the capacity to become a world class tourist destination only with a strong mechanism like Kokan Bhumi Pratisthan to create a information base which can be accessed by anyone in world who wants to visit Kokan. Travi culture we need to create, and Kokan can be turned into a hot travel destination”.

The 4 day grand ‘Swarajya Bhumi Kokan Festival’ from 6th to 9th Dec organized by Kokan Bhumi Pratishthan at NESCO, in Mumbai is displaying a melange of art forms from Kokan region from Tarpa, Dashavtar, Jakhdi along with puppet show, Sangeet Sandhya – a live Musical Show and more. Visitors can witness grand display of culture, seafood cuisine, cashew products from Konkan to pickles to special sweet and savouries to wooden toys from kokan region.