Team Herald
SANGUEM: The villagers residing within the precincts of Netravali Wild Life Sanctuary on Monday hailed the appointment of Sanguem Deputy Collector Ajay Gaude as collector in charge for the settlement of claims put up by the villagers for demarcating of their properties out of the sanctuary.
Earlier, the government had appointment a committee headed by retired forest officer mazalkar to look into the claims made by the villagers. However, the Mazalkar Committee could not give justice to the people and as such the report produced by the committee was discarded by the government.
The government has now given the role of individual hearing to the objections and claims raised by the people having their properties within the precincts of Netravali Wild Life Sanctuary to Gaude.
Speaking to ‘Herald’, Gaude informed that the details pertaining to the hearings of individual cases will be worked out and displayed in the respected villages and in the local newspapers in the next two days.
It may be noted that ever since the declaration of the Netravali Wild Life Sanctuary in the year 1999, the villagers have been constantly demanding for their properties and residential houses to demarcate from the precincts of Netravali Wild Life Sanctuary but the issue had only lingered on.
The worst to be affected are those residing in hilly areas who are allegedly been harassed by the Forest Department officials. In one such case reported some time back, the Forest Department had allegedly cut around 300 areca nut saplings of a local farmer as the same was within the area of sanctuary.
After his appointment, Gaude assured to settle the cases within a period of six months and conduct the hearings in the village itself so as to avoid the villagers taking trouble to travel all the way to Sanguem.
“Besides, if need be, hearings will also be conducted on Saturdays,” informed Gaude.
