The High Court's stay on the felling of trees for road widening from the Siolim petrol pump to SFX High School, Siolim comes as a welcome breather to those who have been relentlessly fighting against the rampant cutting of century-old trees along the route with protests and silent candlelit vigils.
The critical questions that the court asked during the course of the hearing not only exposed the scant disregard authorities have for the environment but also showed disrespect to the people of the area who were made to witness such a rampage on the habitat of the area.
Once again, the court proved to be a saviour and guardian of the environment, and the critical questions it asked were testimony of that. The court not only expressed surprise over how the trees could be cut in such a manner but also questioned how the government accepted the fact that trees were cut.
In a bizarre twist, however, the government advocate sought to push the blame on one individual, holding him responsible for tree cutting, a move seen more as a facing-saving attempt. It is appalling that one person is held responsible when we are talking about a public project of road widening that has government departments involved, where 35 trees are cut down and over 120 more facing the axe, and where there has been a public outcry.
It appears that the PWD needed a scapegoat because there was no other defence to such a carnage. The idea of one person single-handedly going about inflicting such damage while everyone watching helplessly is unacceptable, and the court’s questioning ” “how could 35 trees be felled without the knowledge of JE of the PWD” says it all.
It has been reported that the PWD went about the road widening work bulldozing through compound walls and other structures and trees coming in the way without taking the locals into confidence and addressing their concerns. On the flip side of the argument was the need for a section to widen the narrow 4-kilometre road given the increased flow of traffic leading to vehicular congestion in the area. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was seen overseeing the development in his wife’s constituency of Siolim and has espoused the need for wider roads by arguing that even ambulances are getting stuck in traffic snarls.
The question is about chalking out solutions. The question is about finding answers by not destroying heritage trees, the vibe of the nooks and corners, and the very unique landscape of Goa. The PWD has not learnt its lessons from past protests where it has been facing public backlashes for trying to recklessly fell trees in the name of development. Citizens have always opposed development that is coming at the price of the environment.
While the theory of inclusive development lay shredded into smithereens along the roads of Siolim as trees, walls and other structures came crashing down, the court stay provided hope and reinforced the belief that judiciary is the only weapon against such destructive and brazen attacks on the environment.
