I want to make it clear that no garbage treatment plant will come up on the MMC landMARGAO: The State government's ambitious scheme - 'Urban Forest' - was officially launched on Margao Municipal Council’s land admeasuring 30,000 square meters opposite the Sosnodo dump yard in Raia village.
- Vijai Sardesai
Forest Minister
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I have been assured by Forest Minister that the land will be utilized only for Urban forests
- Reginaldo Lourenco,
(Curtorim MLA
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The site can even neutralize the harmful effect of the Sonsodo garbage once complete
- Subhash Chandra,
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
The scheme envisages plantation of additional fruit-bearing and forest trees on the land which is a dense forest. Walkways, parking amenities, etc will be put in place on the land by the Forest department once the land in question is handed over to the department by the Margao Municipal Council. Fast disappearing traditional fruit-bearing trees, including kandan, charan, chunnas, etc are among other trees to be planted in the Urban forest.
Given that the Raia villagers had in the past opposed any activity on the land acquired by the MMC for Sonsodo Phase II, both Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco sought to allay fears of construction of a garbage treatment plant. “I want to make it clear that no garbage treatment plant will come up on the MMC land. I am aware that the people of Raia had opposed any development on the land, including installation of a power transformer,” Sardesai said, while urging Margao Municipal acting Chairperson Tito Cardozo to adopt a resolution to hand over the acquired land to the forest department to take the Urban Forest scheme to its logical conclusion. “After the land is handed over to the department, funds will be spent on the Urban Forest project. Once the project is complete, children can be shown what forest is all about," he added.
The Forest Minister said that the Urban Forest scheme can be implemented in other constituencies as well, saying the MLAs can either approach him or take up the matter in the ensuing Assembly session.
In his brief address, the Curtorim MLA highlighted the fears expressed by villagers of Raia that the project will only bring a garbage treatment plant in their village. “I have been assured by the Forest Minister that the land will be utilized only for Urban forests. It is a good initiative. I hope that monkeys will now stop from straying into areas of human habitat", he added.
Earlier, explaining the significance of the project to the Forest Minister and Raia Sarpanch Esmeralda Gomes, Panch member Mario D’Souza and others at the site, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Subhash Chandra said the project will benefit the public at large. “At a later stage, if the people agree, the project can be exploited for revenue earning as well as employment for the local populace. The site can be used for parking. The site can even neutralize the harmful effect of the Sonsodo garbage once complete," he said, adding “the Urban Forest can indeed become a model for tree conservation”.
The scheme was officially launched after Forest Minister Vijai Sardesai and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco jointly planted a sapling in the presence of MMC acting Chairperson Tito Cardozo, Raia Sarpanch Esmeralda Gomes, Mario D’Souza, and senior forest officials.
