the goan I network
MAPUSA
Locals prevented destruction of green cover on a Sinquerim hill when a group of hired persons armed with cutters and chain saws began hacking trees and slicing through the thick vegetation on Saturday morning. A written complaint was also lodged by the villagers at the Calangute Police Station but no offence has been registered.
A private owner engaged at least 15 persons to cut tress and clear thick vegetation on a verdant hill in Sinquerim.
Noticing the tree cutting activity, some residents rushed to the site and confronted the workers and stopped them from further destruction of the green cover. “When we asked the workers for valid permission to cut trees, they failed to do so. We informed the police who came to the site and asked them to stop work,” said Roshan Mathias, a social activist and resident of Candolim.
Even as the intervention of the locals helped in stopping the activity in the first half of the day, the workers came back in the second half with double the strength along with some bouncers. This upset the locals, who spread the word around in the Candolim village and also informed the local panch member Fermino Fernandes.
A large number of residents along with the panch member rushed to the site. “Since they did not have permission to cut trees we asked them to stop the activity. They agreed and left the place quietly,” Fermino told The Goan.
The incident has upset locals in Sinquerim and Candolim village, who were now gearing up to tackle the situation head on.
