Team Herald
MARGAO: Rainbow Warriors, NGO condemned the amendments to forest laws proposed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on Tuesday, and claimed that it is an attempt to dilute the existing protection of forests and open up the forests of India to accelerated destruction.
Rainbow Warriors have also demanded that these dilutions be rejected and that the protection of forests be enhanced instead, in view of the growing challenges of climate change; deforestation for infrastructure, mining and real estate; collapse of biodiversity and the existential threats to mankind as a consequence.
As informed by the Abhijit Prabhudesai, General Secretary of Rainbow Warriors, the outrageous proposal includes dilution of forest laws for linear projects like highways and railways, allowing constructions in private forests, exemption for ‘strategic and security projects’, dilution for mining leases and oil and natural gas extraction, and even suggests removal of protection of forests on private lands.
"These amendments will not just threaten the forest of the rest of India, but will also have a deadly impact on the forests of Goa, which are under grave threat due to infrastructure projects for coal transportation, mining and real estate. Goa’s water resources, environmental stability and local economies and communities are totally dependent on the forests within the State.”