the goan I network
PANAJI
The cutting of the six mango trees at Colvale appears to have been illegal as the Assistant Engineer of the PWD on Tuesday is reported to have admitted at the court of the Forest Department that while he had sought “permission” for the same, he was only given an NOC by the Deputy Conservator of Forests.
“The Forest Department can grant NOC under Section 31 of the Goa Trees Preservation Act only when the government notifies a particular area, giving exemption to it,” petitioner in the case,
Avertino Miranda told “The Goan.”
“In this case, there was no notification, so the cutting down of the trees is in violation of the Goa Trees Preservation Act,” Miranda said, explaining that Colvale is not a notified area.
“There is no way the PWD could have cut the trees in the area, as the Deputy Conservator of Forests was not authorised to give them any permission for this area,” he said.
An order in this case will now be passed by the Forest Department after hearing the arguments of Miranda and the PWD official.
On Monday, six iconic trees were cut at Colvale, with tempers flaring as the Chief Minister reportedly promised the people that he would protect those trees. The trees were chopped down in the presence of the mamlatdar and the police. Environmentalists say that these trees were 200 years old.
In February last year, the contractor of NH 66 tried to cut these trees but had faced strong objection from environmentalists and members of the Goa Green Brigade which submitted a memorandum to then PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar and later to CM Pramod Sawant.
The other issue that cropped up was that the PWD had gotten the NOC to fell the trees only on December 14 and 15. But they did so on December 16.
However, not all the locals were against the cutting of the trees. Some of them wanted the trees to go for fear of losing their land for road diversion at the spot.
Some of us have our gaddas in the area, which would have been lost had the trees not been cut to expand the road, they claimed.
