PANAJI
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has written to the Principal Secretary (Forest), government of Goa granting approval for diversion of 1.9089 hectare of additional private forest land for the Kulem-Madgaon railway double tracking project under South Goa Forest Division in favour of South Western Railways.
The clearance was granted based on the approval of the Regional Empowered Committee.
According to the letter, “after careful examination of the proposal of the State government and on the basis of the approval of the Regional Empowered Committee, in-principle approval /Stage-l clearance of the Central Government is granted for diversion of 1.9089 hectares of private forest land for Kulem-Madgaon Railway doubling track under South Goa Forest Division in favour of (SWR) Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, subject to fulfilment of conditions”.
The proposal was examined by the Regional Empowered Committee constituted under sub-rule (1) of rule 4A of the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003 in its meeting held on January 27.
The controversial double-tracking work has been facing continued opposition from several villages with residents crying foul over the land acquisition process.
