The Goa state government has sought exclusion of around 21 villages from the list of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) of the Western Ghats region. This includes 12 from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem and one from Canacona taluka! This exclusion list was reduced from the earlier demand to exclude about 47 villages. With the Goa Government’s negative image on mainly promoting real estate development at cost of environment well known, it was long suspected that this was the main reason as to why, the Goa BJP Government was pushing for maximum exclusions of Goan villages. Now with the latest sale deed documents obtained by activist Swapnesh Sherlekar, it has been revealed that large tracts of land has been sold to outside Goa parties namely Bihar, Delhi etc at Vagheri Hill in Keri village in Sattari. It does not take much thinking to figure out what’s going on here and why the ministers are keen to exclude these villages; if not for the real estate entities mainly from outside Goa. This is all done to pursue environmentally destructive activities for commercial real estate objectives.
