Govt must promote solar power instead of sacrificing trees: Save Mollem activists

THE GOAN NETWORK | OCTOBER 26, 2020, 12:11 AM IST

PANAJI
You’ve heard it before – the State government is willing to sacrifice almost 70,000 trees in the Mollem National Park, for three infrastructural projects and there has been massive outrage and protest against it.

So why isn't the Goa government not proactive enough to promote solar energy instead of sacrificing thousands of trees for a power sub-station and an electricity transmission line, is a question that dominated the discourse at a nearly 2-hour webinar “Mollem Infra Projects – Understanding Environmental and Developmental Needs” organized by alumni of Goa University on Saturday. Sherry Fernandes (21), who has been fiercely in the forefront of the opposition against the proposed deforestation and a lead discussant in the panel, questioned why the Goa government wasn’t raising more awareness about solar energy in Goa when the Central government is, in fact, pushing for it.

“Instead of complaining that a move to solar power was a “complete failure” in Goa since people are not signing up for it, why isn’t the government working on a policy and educating people more?” she questioned, slamming Power Minister Nilesh Cabral for not yet coming forth with a whitepaper on which Goans are going to benefit from a substation in Mollem.

“By not being forthcoming with information, the government is violating our 'Right to Know',” she argued.

Meanwhile, the 80-strong audience backed a move to solar energy, with several citing examples of their own homes.

Participants also questioned the need for a transmission line which will carry 1500 MW into the State when Goa's current electricity demand is only 650 MW.

The participants also severely criticised the government for not having made a move to install new buildings and existing government buildings with solar panels.

Another panellist Prajal Sakhardande slammed the government for its “draconian plans” that would lead to the destruction of the environment.

“We have to safeguard our pristine forests and Dudhsagar waterfall for posterity so that our future generations will still have them,” said Sakhardande, a history and heritage scholar.

He expressed surprise as to how the government could consider destroying forests that have been listed by UNESCO as a biodiversity hotspot.

Sakhardande also warned that if the projects went ahead, Dudhsagar would be reduced to a trickle and the groundwater table would get depleted.

Former headmaster, lawyer, and resident of Mollem Sarashchandra Khandeparkar who lived in Mollem since birth was yet another panellist at the webinar. He kept questioning the need to fragment forests and cause irreparable damage.

“Goa is just being used as a passage for the transportation of coal to Karnataka and Maharashtra,” he said.

The discussion also featured Dhirendra Thakkar, a Port Logistics Expert, who made a case for why Goa needed another railway line, and claimed that the Mormugao Port was not doing that well.

To a question on the re-habilitation of people who would be displaced by the three infrastructural projects, Thakkar gave no concrete plan and said that other cases in India would have to be studied.

The discussion was moderated by geologist and research scholar in Earth Science, Purshottam Verlekar, and the proceedings were conducted in both Konkani and English.

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