Team Herald
PANJIM: Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira on Sunday said that Union Environment Ministry-appointed expert committee, which is tasked with examining views and objections of state governments on eco-sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats, is likely to visit Goa this month to deliberate on the state’s submissions.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Sequeira said,” The ESA team from Delhi will come to Goa on our request. We have demanded that many of the villages be dropped. We have substantiated our demand.”
“We formed a team which consisted of senior officers who have speciality in the field. We submitted our report. They had certain questions. We told them to come to Goa, visit the sites and convince themselves. They will come, though the dates have not been finalised but we expect them this month,” he said.
The state government has sought exclusion of around 21 villages from ESA. The committee, which is headed by Sanjay Kumar, former director-general of forest, will verify along with the state government whether its demands to omit villages marked as ESA are justified.
