In a State where environmental awareness is high, but the response of the authorities to the degradation of the ecology is as best tepid, this is definitely a silver lining.
Even after the Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) recommendations had become public, the State government had not changed its stance on the projects, but remained adamant that it would go ahead with them. What happens now? If the government is responsive to the wishes of the people it will review the three projects and take an enlightened decision that is in the interests of not just the current generations living in Goa, but also those that will come in the future. After having closed its mind to the wishes of the people, will the government at least now admit that those who have been protesting the felling of trees do have a valid reason for taking up the cudgels for the environment?
There can be no over stressing of the fact that this forest area in eastern Goa cannot be tampered with. There may be other opinions on this, but those arguments can never justify the felling of thousands of trees for the projects. In that respect it is pertinent to recall what the CEC had stated in its report. One of the most significant of comments from its report read: “CEC does not find any justification for undertaking a project of this nature which will destroy the fragile eco-system of the Western Ghats which is an internationally recognised biodiversity hot spot and also one of the most important wildlife corridors of the country.” There can be no disagreement to this as it very clearly states a fact and not an opinion.
The Western Ghats – and not just in Goa but in the States of Maharashtra and Karnataka too – require protection. The region’s unique ecology cannot be tampered with and environment crusaders have been tirelessly working to achieve just this. After the report of the CEC that had found justification in their reasoning, this Supreme Court order is the best to come their way. For Goa Foundation, that is the petitioner in the cases, and for the many groups on the ground – Save Mollem, Goencho Ekvott, Goencho Avaaz, Goyant Kollso Naka – this is but a battle that has been won. There are many others that they are waging, and for the many who believed that the fight against coal transportation was ended, this could lead to a renewed will to fight again.
The order from the highest court in the land has spurred the defenders of the environment to renew their fight to save the Mollem forest. There are already demands that the government take cognisance of this order and act accordingly in the other two linear projects. Whether the government will accede will be known in the days ahead, but the environmentalists have assured that they will continue their fight for the forests and the environment. It has not been an easy victory and it is far from over. Goa’s environment, its forests, its fields need these warriors to take up the good fight for the land. Victories like these provide the impetus to carry on.
