Centre grants clearances to 140 hectares of forest land for Goa projects.
Environmentalists have been opposing three linear projects -- the double-tracking project, the four-laning of a national highway and the Goa-Yanmar transmission power project.
THE UNION Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) has granted clearances for the diversion of 140 hectares of forest land for the South Western Railway’s double-tracking project — amid protests by environmentalists and locals against the plan to cut through the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mollem National Park — in south Goa.
On February 4, in a letter to the Goa Principal Secretary (Forests), the MoEF granted an in-principle approval or a stage-1 clearance for diversion of 120.87 hectares of forest land for double-tracking between Castlerock railway station in north Karnataka to Kulem railway station in south Goa. Two other clearances were issued for the diversion of 1.90 hectares of private forest and 15.6 hectares of forest land for double-tracking between Kulem and Margaon railway stations in south Goa.
Environmentalists have been opposing three linear projects — the double-tracking project, the four-laning of a national highway and the Goa-Yanmar transmission power project. They have said that the projects could cause large-scale destruction to forests in the Western Ghats, give no benefits to local residents and were aimed at accelerating the transport of coal from the Mormugao Port Trust to Karnataka.
Asserting that the Central clearances will be legally opposed, Claude Alvares, Director, Goa Foundation, said, “There was a huge uproar last year to protect Mollem and if the government can ignore the voice of its people then this is rather unfortunate. Then this is a government that is hostile to the interest of forests and its decisions are very superficial and impressionistic…the environment is sacrificed first and then the economy. But we will keep fighting and we will keep protesting.”
The Goa Foundation has been at the forefront of the ‘Save Mollem’ movement that gathered momentum last year in the wake of the diversion of forest land. (Source: The Indian Express)
Quick Enquiry
Our Results
