PANJIM: The 200-year-old tree which was felled for the ongoing Smart City work at St Inez, was translocated at the premises of football ground at Campal on Sunday.
This was done after vehement protest held by green activists who were against cutting the two centuries-old tree. They were claiming that the tree was not coming in the way of the smart city work and it was part of the effort made by the authorities to remove trees from the streets of the capital city.
However, in spite of their protest, the tree was felled in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Miffed over the act of the authorities, the activists registered their protest on Saturday as well, terming the act of the government authorities as butchering of the tree in the name of Smart City work.
However, the tree, with its branches trimmed, was taken from its primary location to the Campal ground in a huge truck was planted there.
Now, the activists have said that they will file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court of Bombay at Goa with a request to bring the officials responsible for felling the tree to the task.
It may be recalled that during the protest Avertino Miranda, founder of Goa Green Brigade, termed the felling of the tree as “murder” and said that a Public Interest Litigation will be filed against felling of the trees.
“’We will file a PIL against this injustice on April 8 so that the officials responsible for the mess is brough to task. This is a crime and the Smart City officials are answerable for this,” he had said.
Historian and heritage activist Prajal Sakharkhande had predicted that the translocation of the tree from its original habitat to a new one will be dangerous for the tree and it may not survive.
It started on Friday, when people of the capital city took to the streets to protect one of its ‘senior citizens’.
However, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited claimed that it got all necessary permissions for felling of the tree and it was doing so by complying with regulatory requirements.
“The Forest Department has granted authorisation for the removal of a rain tree and the translocation of a banyan tree, both deemed impediments to the project’s advancement. Supervised by the Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Panjim and other officials, the translocation process of the banyan tree is expected to be completed by April 15,” the IPSCDL had said in a statement.
