- The farmers ,locals especially tribal families in Veling Priol Cuncoliem Panchayat have been fighting over the past three years against the illegal chopping of hills and felling of forest trees in Mangueshim. They have been worried by the inaction of the authorities against the builder lobby who have been focused on leveling the hill for construction activities. Their ambition could have an effect on tourism too in the area. The builders want to construct a mega residential project by destroying the beautiful natural hills and thick forest at Mangueshim which is a famous tourist destination. The locals had warned the authorities that they would come out on to the road to save the environment ancd requested the government to implement the NGT and HC order to demarcate the Mangueshim hilly land as private forest land.
It may be recalled that the beautiful natural cover with thick forest and hilly area is a tourist attraction and located hardly around two hundred metres away opposite the Mangueshim Temple of Goa which is a famous tourist destination of the world. It is also planned by builders and people who have bought plot on same land for residential purpose to construct a Krishna Temple at the hill levelling site. The locals however are against the construction of any new temple. Veling Priol Cuncoliem Nagrik Kruti Samithi (VPCKS) President Raju Mangueshkar said “We don’t want more temples by the migrants who have purchased forest and hill land and want to construct temple along with their residential project. Manguesh Temple is enough for all the villagers”.
According to Raju Mangueshkar locals are opposed to the mega Project. The Panchayat , TCP and Forest had not given any approval for the levelling of hills and felling of forest trees. But over the past two years the forest and hilly land at Mangueshim are being levelled for the project and hundreds of sale deeds of plots are already executed. The violators were openly doing it using bouncers two years ago during the night. The locals organized a morcha and went to the Forest and TCP and other offices two years ago. But no government authority initiated action against these illegal activities till date.
People claim the violators are not afraid even if reports appear in the local media. Locals alleged that there are fines and penalties in place for such violations but implementation is not seen anywhere.
The hills were reduced and disappeared eventually without permission of the concerned environment authorities. According to locals the builders are purchasing the forest covers at cheaper rates and converting it illegally for residential and commercial purpose for heavy rates earning huge profit. The plot for sale are advertised at Mangeshim without local notice of authority of the panchayat.
Ponda Taluka is mainly Known as a tourist Spot with several famous temples located in surrounding of rich ,thick green covers on it and its hill slopes. However the builder lobby is out to destroy it by using money and muscle power by utilizing heavy excavation machinery and using bouncers to protect their misdeed specially during the night. On the other hand authorities failed to penalize them despite there being provisions in the law. But no authorities came forward except locals raising their voice and complaining to the authorities. Further not only at Mangueshim but at many other places the Bouncers were appointed for this activities by compounding and installing the gates so as to prevent NGOs and locals to come to the Hill cutting site and take photographs and complain.
Hill cutting activities are going on in large scale at Ponda Taluka in all four constituencies destroying the village natural cover at Panchawadi, Zigdimal in Curti Panchayat, Mangeshi in Veling Priol Cuncoliem Panchayat, at Bandora and at Kerim Ponda. The large scale chopping of hills for the construction of mega projects by the builder lobby and the absence of action by the government authorities has worried the farmers of Ponda Taluka. They mainly depend on the hills for the water source for agricultural purposes.
Veling Priol Cuncoliem Nagrik Samithi President Raju Mangueshkar said the locals had approached to High Court and NGT against Hill cutting and forest tree cutting at Mangueshim. He said both courts had given directions to protect forest land.
He warned the government and the forest Department that he would take a morcha to the Goa Assembly and the forest department if it failed to implement the order of the NGT to demarcate forest land and direct the high court to restore the said land.
For over two years the villagers along with the Panch members who are mostly from the tribal and farming communities are fighting against illegal tree felling and hill cutting at Cuncoliem near Mangeshim to level the land for making plots. Ramkrishna Zalmi who is a local said though the villagers approached almost every department including Police, forest, TCP, Deputy Collector and Forest Department no action had been forthcoming. Criminal cases have been filed against 13 villagers who were trying to defend hilly and forest land converted into plots. These tribal and farming communities depend upon the forest and hilly land for water and agricultural activities which is affected due to hill cutting and felling of trees. Raju Mangueshkar demanded the government execute the order of the High Court and NGT, especially the demarcation of the entire land, including the area illegally felled, as private forest, restoration of land and strict action against offenders to crush the greed of builder and protect forest and natural beauty in temple area at Mangueshim. Raju Mangueshkar who led the Morcha on the Forest Office this month said the Locals are forced to bring morchas due to the inaction of authorities and forest officials. He said at Mangueshim private trees and hills on private forest land are chopped illegally for conversion into plots and that locals want the Private Forest Land and hills preserved for future generation. He said the Government needs to constitute the Private Forest Review Committee for South and North Goa taking members of Public and NGO for declaration of Private Forest Land and if no action comes from such Committee to declare the Private Forest Land at Mangueshim the Locals would hence forth directly come on the road for their demand.
