Ex-Forest Minister claims he has no knowledge after exit from govt post-scheme launch at Sonsodo
File photo of former Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai with Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, forest officials at the MMC acquired land at Sonsodo, opposite the Sonsodo waste management site to declare Urban Forest on the land.
MARGAO
Will the government authorities shed light on the status of the “Urban Forest” scheme launched at Sonsodo on Vanmahotsav Day launched with much fun fare by then Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai over half a decade ago in the year 2019?
Well, this question is doing the rounds in the corridors of the Margao Municipal building as the government is toying with an ambitious proposal to implement urban social forestry at the Sonsodo waste management site.
On July 7, 2019, former Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai had launched the Urban Forest scheme at Sonsodo on the Margao Municipal Council-acquired land admeasuring 30,000 sqm located right opposite the Sonsodo waste management site.
The status of the urban forest at the MMC-acquired land remains unknown. When The Goan contacted Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai to shed light on the Urban Forest scheme at Sonsodo, he said he has no idea about the scheme since he was out of the Forest Ministry after launching the scheme in 2019. “After I launched the scheme in 2019, I was out of the government thereafter. I have no idea about the status of the scheme. May be the forest officials will be in a better position to shed light on the scheme,” he added.
The scheme had proposed to plan fruit-bearing and forest trees on the land considered a dense forest. That’s not all. The scheme had envisaged amenities such as walkways, parking, etc on the MMC-acquired land once the civic body hands over the land in question to the Forest Department.
In fact, the scheme had proposed to plant traditional fruit-bearing trees, including kandan, charan, chunnas, etc at the land considering they were fast getting extinct.
Sardesai, who had presided over the Forest portfolio then, had then pointed out that the place can play host to traditional trees which will help to showcase forest wealth to posterity.
In fact, then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Subhash Chandra had announced that if the Urban Forest scheme becomes a reality, the project may be exploited for revenue generation and employment for the locals.
Five years later, Sonsodo Urban Forest gets fresh push from MMC, Forest Dept
MARGAO: Over half-a-decade after former Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai had launched the Urban Forest scheme in 2019, the Margao Municipal Council is moving in the direction to get the Forest Department implement a similar scheme at the Sonsodo waste management site.
In fact, a joint inspection of the Sonsodo waste management site was carried out by Margao Municipal Council led by civic chief Damu Shirodkar with senior Forest officials in a bid to plant more trees and beautify the area around the Sonsodo garbage yard under the Urban Forest scheme.
The joint inspection has come following a meeting the chairpersons of various Municipal bodies had with Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane wherein MMC chief Damu Shirodkar had proposed to the Minister to take up planting of trees and beautify the open space at Sonsodo.
Earlier this week, Forest officials inspected Sonsodo along with the MMC civic chief and officials to take a review of the proposal. Sources said the Forest Department has expressed its willingness to plant trees as the Urban Forest on all four sides of Sonsodo.
Sources in the know say the Forest Department is believed to have asked the civic body to hand over land admeasuring around 5,000 sqm to take up Urban Forestry at Sonsodo.
