MARGAO: Taking serious note of the burning of beach vegetation and destruction of the sand dunes and coastal environment , the village panchayat of Cavelossim fined the person responsible Rs 25,000, and also directed him to plant more than 200 trees.
Sarpanch Dixon Vaz said the directions have been issued on Thursday.
A few days ago, the villagers of Cavelossim had expressed shock when they discovered that a large swathe of beach vegetation had been cut and burnt by a local. The villagers had demanded strict action against the culprit.
Panchayat officials had conducted an inspection of the area on December 29 and found that some labourers, while cleaning the area and burning dry leaves, had also burnt some shrubbery and bushes, and cut down naturally occurring trees on that stretch of the beach.
“The inspection team had immediately contacted the caretaker of the site and told him to stop the work. The owner was fined Rs 25,000 for the burning of waste in the open space,” said the Sarpanch.
The notice stated that the violator was informed not to indulge in such activities without the permission of the authorities as it is an eco-sensitive zone, and to restore the land to its original state and to plant at least 200 trees to compensate for the damage to the environment.
The panchayat also cited the judgement pronounced by the National Green Tribunal dated December 22, 2016, which states that there shall be complete prohibition on the open burning of waste, including at landfill sites. For each such incident, violators of the project proponent, concessionaires, ULB, any person or body responsible for such burning, shall be liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000 in case of simple burning, while Rs 25,000 will be the fine in cases of bulk waste burning.
“As per Rule 15 of the Solid Waste Management Rules as amended, the local authority is responsible for the management of waste in their respective jurisdictions,” said the Sarpanch.
