MAPUSA
Suspecting something fishy, the Chairman of the Anjuna-Caisua biodiversity management committee (BMC), Michael D’Souza on Sunday informed the gram sabha that the forest department has been marking letters to the panel but so far they have not been receiving these letters.
D’Souza also said that the BMC has been leaving up to the task of planting trees at several public places in the village.
“Letters are marked to us by the forest department but we are not receiving them. Every time a project comes up in the village and the concerned developer needs to fell trees, the forest department marks a copy to us. But surprisingly we have not got a single letter till today,” D’Souza said.
He said he stumbled on this fact when he had gone for a surprise inspection of a project in the village where more than 60 trees were felled to make way for a construction.
“The owner of the site showed me the letter from the forest department issuing permission to cut the trees. On that letter a copy was marked to the Anjuna-Caisua BMC,” he stated.
The BMC chairman further rued that the panchayat has failed to allot an office or space to the BMC within the panchayat building.
“Don’t make us a scapegoat. If we are not getting the letters marked to us then there is something amiss here,” he said.
He also informed that the BMC has received funds and the committee has been planting trees in public places.
