Officials threaten action over use of mining rejects for ground; minister questions move
Social Welfare Minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai in a heated discussion with forest officials at Dandolem-Rivona.
SANGUEM
Tension prevailed in Rivona on Saturday after officials of the Forest Department halted a community-led initiative by villagers and local youth to level a playground for children using mining reject material that had been dumped in forested area over a decade ago.
The issue arose when villagers began removing a small quantity of the mining reject material to level a ground that has been used by local youth for football and volleyball since 2011. According to Social Welfare Minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai, nearly 100 villagers participated in the voluntary shramdaan, bringing machinery and a truck to transport the material from a large dump located about 50 metres away.
The mining reject dump, reportedly consisting of 100-200 truckloads of material, has remained at the site which is in forested area for nearly 10 years.
However, the work came to a halt after forest guards, departmental officials and the Deputy Conservator of Forests arrived at the location and warned villagers that a forest offence would be registered if the activity continued.
On hearing the news, Phal Dessai rushed to the site and confronted the officials.
He questioned the department’s action, alleging that authorities had failed to take action when large quantities of mining waste were allegedly dumped in the forest area years ago.
He criticised the officials for targetting villagers for using a small amount of the discarded material to create a playground for local children.
The incident has also revived concerns among residents of Rivona, Netravali and Bhati over restrictions imposed under forest regulations, which they claim have limited the availability of land for community infrastructure and recreational facilities.
Phal Dessai pointed to the difficulties faced in securing land even for basic public projects, including waste management facilities.
Expressing solidarity with the villagers, the minister said he fully supports their demand for a playground and maintained that if the Forest Department chooses to initiate legal action against the villagers, it should also proceed against him as he stands firmly with the community.
Accusing the authorities of not acting firmly against illegal timber smuggling in the past, Phal Dessai said they were moving swiftly against villagers engaged in community work. Describing the situation as unfair, he called for a balanced approach that addresses past environmental violations while also taking into account the needs of local communities.
