Team Herald
MARGAO: There’s good news for nature-lovers and environment warriors in Curtorim, as the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB), after a lengthy hearing of its Grievance Committee, has agreed to include the springs and khazan lands earlier excluded from the draft notification to declare Curtorim as a Biodiversity Heritage Site.
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On Friday, the Grievance Committee headed by retired judge Desmond D’Costa in the presence of committee member Surendra Naik, and Pradip Sarmokadam, Member Secretary of GSBB, held a meeting at the Curtorim Biodiversity premises.
Local MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Chairman of the Curtorim Biodiversity Managing Committee J. Santano Rodrigues and Caitano Hilario, Sarpanch of Village panchayat Curtorim also attended the meeting called in response to the objections GSBB has received pertaining to the draft notification.
Pradip Sarmokadam told Herald that upon the insistence of concerned citizens, besides the Curtorim biodiversity committee and panchayat, it has now been decided to include all the springs and khazan land in the draft, as per the initial proposal.
It is pertinent to note that presently, only around six lakh square meters of area, mostly lakes and field channels, are included in the biodiversity heritage site, as against the 60 lakh sq mts suggested by experts.
“The Grievance Committee held the hearing and the final decision has been taken. The Goa State Biodiversity Board has agreed to make the changes in the draft notification. The concerned authority has been directed to re-survey the parts that need to be included,” he said, adding that a re-draft notification will be published.
