PANJIM: The locals of Tiracol have responded right back and challenged the Environmental Clearance issued to the controversial Tiracol Golf Course project of Leading Hotels.
The appeal challenges the EC on the grounds that the Leading Hotels totally misled the MoEF on the nature of the land. The appellants have argued that the present land use is agricultural tenanted land, which does not permit a golf course or a resort.
They have also claimed that bulk of the land is still cultivated by them and the EC for the project includes their land and therefore it has been granted without proper application of mind. The MoEF has no authority to grant an environment clearance for a project on land which does not belong to the project proponent, they said.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) on this appeal. The notice has been issued on an appeal filed by Agnelo Godinho, Anthony Mendes and Juze Godinho, all villagers and tenants of Tiracol against the environment clearance issued by MoEF on October 11 to the golf course project.
Goa Foundation is also one of the appellants in the matter. The appeal is posted for January 12, next month.
The appeal also states that incorrect information was supplied to the
Ministry in the forms filled up providing data on the project. The company has falsely stated that there was no litigation pending involving the said land. The appellants have shown that almost every plot has a litigation pending either at the lower court or the mamlatdar’s court.
The appeal has argued that the Expert Appraisal Committee did not deal with the environmental impact of a golf course at the site. The appellants have argued that the operation of the golf course is bound to adversely affect the agricultural land, its water resources and fishing grounds and that these aspects have not been considered by the Expert Appraisal Committee while recommending the environment clearance.
It may be recalled that an earlier environment clearance granted by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on March 14, 2013 to the project was suspended because the NGT found serious irregularities in the grant of the clearance and directed fresh consideration of the project.
