PANAJI
The Goa government’s attempt to overturn the judgement of the National Green Tribunal which ordered the State government to notify the identified area of 46.11 square kilometres as private forests came a cropper with the Supreme Court dismissing the appeal filed by the State.
“We find no ground to interfere with the impugned order passed by the Tribunal. The appeal is, accordingly, dismissed,” the Supreme Court bench of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Aniruddha Bose, said.
In August last year, the National Green Tribunal ordered the Goa government to notify the area of 46.11 square kilometres as private forest while rejecting the report of the D’Souza committee which was set up by the Goa government and headed by Joint Secretary (Revenue) Anthony D’Souza.
The Goa government approached the Supreme Court against the NGT’s order.
Prompted by the NGT, the Goa government set up the Sharma Review Committee which submitted its report adding 4.71 sq km to the 41.20 sq km identified by the forest department in 2008.
However, the Goa government with Vijai Sardesai as Forest Minister abruptly rejected the report and instead set up a committee headed by Joint Secretary Revenue Anthony D’Souza. As Anthony D’Souza took time to submit its report, the NGT imposed fines for each day of delay.
The Goa government also had to cough up Rs 10,000 per day from July last year onwards for each day they delayed in submitting the report. The report was ultimately rejected.
