PANAJI
A day after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant formally opened a ‘Biodiversity Park’ at Mollem on the inaugural day of the State Bird festival, the #SaveMollem Campaign termed it “tokenism” and reiterated its demand that the three linear projects against which it has spearheaded a campaign over the last six months be withdrawn.
“The old destination is a legally protected National Park; the rich biodiversity of the State is currently threatened by mindless “development” sanctioned by the State and Centre,” the collective tweeted from its Twitter handle in response to a tweet by Sawant about the ‘biodiversity park’ he inaugurated.
Sawant had tweeted: “A new destination for nature enthusiasts at Mollem. Inaugurated the the Biodiversity Park at Mollem that depicts the rich biodiversity of the State.”
Meanwhile in a twitter thread on the bird festival, #SaveMollem Campaign said, 18 bird species that are endemic to the Western Ghats according to the ‘State of India’s Birds, 2020”. “Seven bird species are found at Mollem and are of high conservation concern,” it added.
The agitation against the three linear projects -- double-tracking of the South Western Railway line, a private power transmission project and four-laning of the National Highway 4-A -- has been playing out since August last year.
Thousands of locals, especially youth, have been at the forefront of it bringing pressure on the political establishment to cancel the projects amidst a swelling movement built over fears that the projects will promote a coal transportation corridor.
More recently it took a political hue after the issue came up for intense debate in the recent winter session of the Goa legislative assembly in January but the government stood its ground.
