Team Herald
CALANGUTE: The Forest Department officials on Saturday conducted a site inspection of a hill side property in Calangute where the owner had carried out ‘massive’ hill cutting and had built an unauthorised structure without the required permissions in an area that was notified as private forest.
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The Calangute Constituency Forum (CCF) had on November 13 filed a complaint with various authorities including the Deputy Conservator of Forest, Panjim, about the construction stating that the structure was illegal and extensive hill cutting was carried out in a property bearing survey no 33/2 in Calangute.
The CCF has been going hammer and tongs at builders who have being instrumental in the rampant destruction of the environment and have urged authorities to initiate action against the violators of the land as the hill side with last green patches in the village was being destroyed.
“The land has been notified as a private forest as per the property register and the illegal hill-cutting and levelling of the natural landscape have disrupted the local flora and fauna, displaced wildlife, and destroyed native vegetation that plays a crucial role in maintaining the area’s ecological balance,” said CCF president Premanand Divkar.
“Moreover the said work is carried out without obtaining any valid permission from the respective authorities. We kindly request your good authorities to take immediate and strict action against these illegalities. It is crucial to enforce compliance with environmental regulations to prevent further damage to the area and protect our natural heritage,” the CCF complaint stated.
Forest Officer Vaibhav Joshi stated that they had observations in the matter and would submit a report to the higher-ups regarding the matter.
