PONDA: The Veling Priol Cuncoliem Nagrik Samithi (VPCNKS) has threatened to lead a morcha to Goa Assembly, if the government and Forest Department fail to implement the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on demarcation of forest land and directions of High Court on restoring the forest land to tribal communities before July 31.
Addressing the media, VPCNKS Convenor Raju Mangueshkar said that since the last three years, the Samithi has been fighting against development of plots at Cucoliem by cutting hills and forest trees. He said that the Samithi even moved that NGT against the hill cutting, which passed order on July 9, 2018 directing the government and the Forest Department to expedite the work of demarcation of the proposed private forest at Cuncoliem.
Similarly, he said, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had passed an order on February 14, 2017 directing the Forest Department to patrol the area and also directed the developer to restore land that was illegally developed.
Mangueshkar alleged that in their fight against hill cutting and felling of tress, they had even faced criminal action by government authorities. And despite their fight, 110 plots have been developed sold, he informed.
Mangueshkar also informed that people living in Veling, Priol and Cuncoliem are mostly from the tribal and farming communities as such the forest land is very important to them.
