the goan I network
PANAJI
With the forest portfolio also allocated to Deputy CM Vijai Sardesai in Friday’s additional portfolio allocation decision of CM Pramod Sawant, several proposals stuck for its opinion and concurrence referred by the TCP Department for conversion of land use zoning under section 16B could see speedy resolution one way or the other.
Sources in the TCP department said of the 6,500 applications considered for conversion of land use under section 16B, at least 70 were referred to the Forest Department for opinion and concurrence since the areas sought to be converted have ‘natural cover’.
As a norm, the forest department does not speedily decide such cases and tends to look at such proposals from the viewpoint of protecting ‘natural cover’, the source said, adding that only on the ground of compensatory afforestation, conversion is agreed as an
exception.
However, with the forest portfolio now to be presided over by Sardesai who also holds the TCP portfolio, the pace at which these 70-odd proposals for conversion of land use zoning are decided could hasten.
Sardesai had in 2018, piloted the amendment to the TCP Act by which section 16B was introduced to mandate a process for change of land use zones where land zoning differs in the two Regional Plans of 2001 and 2011.
Since then, the TCP was flooded with some 6,500-odd applications from land owners for conversion of land use zone. Of these, since the areas have natural cover, over 70 proposals were referred by the TCP Board to the forest department as mandated by procedure.
Will ensure forest officers interact with locals to stop injustices: Vijai
MARGAO : A day after he was handed the forest portfolio by CM Pramod Sawant, Deputy CM Vijai Sardesai said he will have to grapple with issues such as private forests, vermin and the problem of wild animals straying into human habitation.
During an interaction with the media at Ravindra Bhavan, Vijai said he would also ensure that the forest department brings in Goemkarponn by ensuring that forest officers interact with locals and help stop injustices on the local population.
“Private forest is an issue and so is vermin. Then we have the problem of animals straying into human habitation. Maybe this is because of the Australian acacia trees. Maybe we have to replace these with local varieties of trees, especially forest species via seed bombs to stop animals from coming into areas habituated by humans,” he added.
