Team Herald
PERNEM: The Chopdem villagers have says deforestation of hills caused flooding of the Chopdem-Morjim road on Wednesday.
The villagers say that this is not the first time the village received heavy rains, but the flooding occurred for the first time this rainy season.
According to the villagers since last three years the forest cover on the hills has been reduced drastically, due to which the earth has lost the capacity to absorb the rain waters, which consequently flowed down to the low lying areas.
The water logging caused inconvenience to the people, especially the commuters as no vehicles could pass through; two-wheeler riders had to push their vehicles through the flooded waters to reach the other side. The water level rose to such a height that it submerged small cars.
After the first rains, the locals now fear that the worst is yet to come.
According to the villagers more than 300 trees have been cut down on the property purchased by one Brahm Enviro Construction Limited to build a three-star hotel. The property falls in “no development zone”, said a villager.
The locals said that they had filed several complainants to the authorities concerned, however, their complaints were ignored and authorities turned blind eye to the felling of threes.
President of Goencho Awaz Swapnesh Sherlekar said, “Wednesday’s incident is the direct result of deforestation happening in the said property with the blessings of the local politicians and authorities who are sadly acting exactly opposite to their responsibilities.”
“The forest department should be held responsible for failing to stop felling of trees. Strict action should be taken against those who fell the trees to restore the faith of common man in the law of land,” he added.
