PANAJI
Alleging that permissions for land conversion were granted in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court, the Goa Foundation has moved a contempt petition before the Apex Court against officials of the Goa government for mass tree felling in connection with the construction of an electricity sub-station at Sangod, Mollem.
According to the petitioner, the Supreme Court had forbidden the issuance of conversion certificates for any land in excess of one hectare, and having a tree density of more than 10%.
According to the petitioner, permission was granted to the Tamnar 400 kV HTL project promoters who had purchased over 10 ha of land in Sangod from private persons in 2018. However, the plot contained more than 2,849 trees, 90% of which were forest species.
“In normal course, as the criteria for private forest were clearly met in this case, Tamnar was required to apply for forest clearance. It did not do so. Instead, together with forest officials, a file was created to get the 2,849 trees felled under the Goa Preservation of Trees Act, 1984. This request was denied by the DCF concerned, on the ground that the Act does not permit felling of more than 1 ha at a time, and not more than 2 ha per year,” the petitioner said.
“To bypass this requirement, the forest department raised a file to exempt the entire plot from the purview of the Goa Preservation of Trees Act, 1984. The file was not signed by the CM, who was ailing at the time, but by his Principal Secretary who signed on his behalf but had no authority in law to do so,” the petitioner also said.
The South Goa Collector, senior officials of the Forest Department, Chief Secretary and former Secretary to the CM, P Krishnamurti and Tamnar officials have been made respondents in the case.
