the goan I network
PANAJI
The decision of the government and the then Deputy Chief Minister, Vijai Sardesai, who also held the Forest portfolio, to reject the report of the review committee on private forests has cost Goa dear.
The National Green Tribunal has pulled up the Government and asked it to furnish a Rs one-crore performance guarantee, for failing to submit the report on private forests on time. In an order passed on Wednesday the Tribunal has also asked the government to now submit the report on private forests within the next three months or face a hefty fine of Rs 50 lakh.
The orders were passed by the tribunal on the petition filed by Goa Foundation. In the order, it expressed its unhappiness over the State government’s delay to file the report.
“The records reveal that the State of Goa has been repeatedly seeking for time to complete the exercise. In view of the above and the fact that further time has been sought for, the direction for payment of penalty in terms of order dated April 03, 2019 shall continue to be operative,” the Tribunal decreed.
In December 2018, the National Green Tribunal had directed the State government to complete the exercise of surveying private forests by March 31, 2019 (this year).
The Court had in that order directed that failure to complete the process would entail costs of Rs 10,000 per day.
But in April this year, when the matter came up for hearing, the State government used the alibi of the Lok Sabha election process and the resultant Code of Conduct being in force for its failure to complete the private forests survey and pleaded that they they be granted more time.
The Tribunal agreed with the contention and extended the time up to June 30. It also agreed to the plea that implementation of its order imposing the fine of Rs 10,000 per day for delay be deferred.
None-the-less the tribunal recorded that the daily cash
