PANAJI
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane who is also Forest Minister said the recent notification hiking the fees for tree cutting to Rs 1,000 per tree will be withdrawn.
He said, the State government will withdraw the notification issued by the Forest Department which specified that tree cutting fee of Rs 1,000 will be charged per tree.
Rane said, he has discussed the issue with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and the old fee structure will be restored. A new fee structure will be evolved by taking stakeholders into confidence, he added.
Meanwhile, the forest department will raid and shut down all the illegal timber depots operating across the State without any permissions.
He also said that the two tigers sanctioned for Goa were not accepted by the Forest Department as the required facilities for them are not available.
