Panaji, Dec 28 (IANS) A conglomeration of 35 NGOs and the Catholic Church in Goa Tuesday announced they will oppose Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's proposed eco-tourism zones, which they termed "a plan for large-scale real estate development".

"The eco-tourism zones are carved out in such a way that they will benefit some hotel developers. It's amply clear that the zones are created in the Regional Plan in the spaces which are already purchased by hoteliers," Yatish Naik, convener of Pilerne Citizens Forum which is leading the campaign, said at a press conference here.

The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a wing of archdiocese of Goa, has backed the campaign.

Naik alleged that the eco-tourism zones had been surreptitiously slipped into the government's Regional Plan 2021, which was released a few weeks back.

"Governor S.S. Sidhu is busy singing carols and Kamat is busy playing the flute. People of Goa are on the streets to demand the state be saved from destruction, thanks to such rapacious provisions. All the 35 NGOs will launch a state wide agitation against the eco-tourism zones," Naik said. He alleged that the government has "sold out to the real estate lobby".

Goa's civic society has actively resisted the rampant concretisation of the state, especially the coastal areas.