Residents living beneath the forest at Bhatwadi in Arambol are growing increasingly anxious about the future of the private forest that sustains their livelihoods. Their fears have intensified as the new owners of the land have begun sub-dividing, fencing, and clearing the periphery of the area. Documents accessed by O Heraldo indicate that land under Survey Nos 242 and 275 in Arambol is zoned as ‘slope’ and ‘orchard’ respectively, as per the Regional Plan 2021. However, villagers and members of the Village Panchayat remain unaware of how the new owners obtained permission to fence the area. Around a hundred families living at the foot of the forest fear that the clearing of bushes and fencing along nearly 30,000 square metres of land, spread across the two survey num bers, signals the beginning of the end for their forest — home to leop ards, gaurs, and rare species of birds and insects. “We took a resolution in the last Gram Sabha against any mega projects around our forest. Apart from wild an imals, the trees help retain water that helps us cultivate our fields below. We are farmers,” said local resident Devidas Kambli.
“With forests being destroyed in the name of develop ment, the situation is bad in Goa and we do not want what little that is left of our village to disappear. The beach side is full of illegalities and we do not want that malaise to crawl into our hinterland,” he added. While the villagers hope that the Panchayat will stand by them, some remain uncertain—despite reassurances from Sarpanch Sushant Gawade. “As soon as we were made aware that fencing was going on and some trees were being cut along the area fenced, we called for a joint inspection with the Forest Department. The report is not ready as the Panchayat Secretary is still on leave,” explained Gawade. “As far as the Panchayat is concerned, no permission has been given to the owners of the land in question. Since we did not know what was going on and the people were concerned, we decided to call a joint inspection,” he added. Tensions escalated after a newspaper advertisement ap peared, inviting objections to a proposed zoning change of the two plots under Section 17B of the TCP Act. “Initially, it did not strike us and that is why none of us objected. It was only after work of subdivision started that we obtained the Form I & XIV of the land and realised that it had been bought by some outsiders,” admitted local resi dent Sitaram Naik, who is leading efforts to save the forest through the NGO Parayavaran Bachav Samiti. “Tourism helps us earn money but we do not want to make money at the cost of the mountain that has been sustaining us for generations. Development that we want should be done—and not what others want,” argued local resident Sushila Naik. “We do make money from tourism, but making money from our environment is not something any of the villagers are for. It is the trees, the forest that has sustained gener ations and we will not sit and watch if anyone thinks they can destroy it,” she added. Pernem Territory Forest Officer Harish Mahale sought to allay fears, stating, “We did carry out an inspection at the behest of the local MLA and the Panchayat and it was found that no trees were felled. We found that bushes along the fences were cut.” “A lot of wildlife lives in the forest that covers the village. Forest officials have in the past rescued leopards. The for est is a habitat for bisons and different species of birds and insects. There is a bond between the forest and the people, and the government must nurture that bond by leaving the forest alone,” asserted Dr Melwin D’Souza, Secretary of the Arambol Biodiversity Board. “People from the village and surrounding areas have been meeting occasionally to find a way forward, because none are ready to lose the forest, which is a No Develop ment Zone (NDZ) and a rich part of everyone’s biodiversi ty,” he added. “The locals did come to me in regards to saving the forest that is part of the NDZ zone. I am always ready to guide them in whatever way I can,” assured former Chief Minister and ex-MLA of the area, Laxmikant Parsekar.