MARGAO: Commissioning the Nagar Van or urban forest scheme in Margao to mark the Van Mohatsav Day, Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai said he would bring in reforms to make the Forest Department more interactive with the people while also announcing the phasing out of Australian Acacia plantations in the State.
“There is a crying need to acknowledge that the forest is our forest as our lives are interdependent upon it and the ones who protect and manage the forest have to be seen as our friends,” Vijai said speaking at the function held at Ravindra Bhavan where he also planted medicinal plants to mark the occasion.
The urban forest will be set up on the 30 thousand sq mts of land belonging to the Margao Municipal Council at Sonsodo and he urged MMC acting Chairperson Tito Cardoso and other councillors present for the function to transfer the land to the Forest Department.
“The Forest Department has nothing to do with garbage management hence once the land is transferred to them there will be no speculation of a garbage treatment plant being set up there,” he said referring to Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco’s disclosure that it was being so speculated.
He said that the urban forest would have forest trees and people would be able to go there for a walk to see the wealth that is available in our forest and also disclosed that the local berries and wild fruit that can be found rarely now, will be planted in this forest.
He said that there would be total transparency and everybody would be taken into confidence as far as forest is concerned and admitted that people have a negative image of the Forest Officials because they generally interact with them when there is some violation and the forest official has to be strict.
He also announced that the nurseries of forest department will supply all the plants free of cost to whoever wants them. Presently a nominal amount of Rs 10 per tree is collected by the department but that will be free.
He disclosed plans of using helicopters to drop seed bombs in forest areas that are not accessible and also using trekkers to plant trees in the forest.
He also announced that Australian Acacia would be phased out with local forest and fruit bearing trees.
Responding to a question of forest animals foraging into settlement areas, Vijai said tha he plans to introduce a programme to have water rejuvenation in the forest areas so that the animals can get their water requirement satisfied there itself.
