Vasco
The Chicalim Youth Farmers Club (CYFC) along with its mentor and Chicalim Parish Priest Fr Bolmax Pereira on Saturday raised concerns over hill cutting activity being carried out in Chicalim.
The CYFC on Saturday filed a complaint in this regard with the sarpanch and secretary of Chicalim Panchayat, as well as a complaint with the South Goa Collector.
In their complaint, the CYFC said there had been extensive hill cutting activity with earth moving machinery, even though the area is classified as A2, which is non-development and having a high gradient.
When contacted, Fr Bolmax Pereira said they had intimated the Chicalim Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) chairman Rui Manuel Costa Araujo, who in turn, informed the panchayat about the hill-cutting activity a week ago but they had not filed an official complaint earlier.
“This activity has been going for around two weeks and we had informally brought it to the notice of the panchayat. The panchayat, however, said the activity was being carried out after obtaining permissions from relevant departments,” said Fr Pereira.
“The works being carried out do not appear to be as per the permissions being granted and I called up the South Goa collector who informed me that the permission was given earlier but the validity had expired and that a fresh extension has been given now.”
