KARSTEN MIRANDA
karsten@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The recent appeal by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to preserve heritage trees has been met with disbelief and opposition by residents of Velsao and surrounding areas.
The Chief Minister launched an initiative called Prachin Vriksha Ayurvedic Chikitsa at Raj Bhavan aimed at protecting and preserving ancient trees across Goa. Sawant made an impassioned plea for the protection of these trees.
However, the ground reality in areas like Velsao paints a starkly different picture. Residents report widespread tree felling, including on private properties, purportedly for railway expansion projects. The situation has reached a boiling point, with locals confronting teams contracted by the Railways for the felling operations. Allegations have surfaced that these contractors have deviated from given demarcations, entering private properties and cutting trees without proper authorisation.
Voicing the community’s frustration, Orville Dourado Rodrigues, a Velsao resident and founder of Goencho Ekvott (GE), said, “South Western Railway (SWR) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) are currently felling ancient trees at Bellem and Pale village in Mormugao taluka, most of these being of medicinal value, long used by the villagers.”
Rodrigues pointed out the glaring contradiction between the CM’s public stance and the ongoing destruction, questioning whether Sawant was aware of the extent of forest cover loss in the area.
The issue extends beyond Velsao, with reports of indiscriminate felling in Sancoale and Issorcim villages as well. Despite repeated complaints to the Forest Department, the destruction of forest cover in these areas continues unabated.
This has led to growing scepticism about the government’s commitment to environmental preservation.
The controversy has gained further traction with the submission of an official complaint to multiple authorities.
The complaint has been submitted to Deputy Conservator of Forest, the South Goa MP; the Deputy Collector of Mormugao; the MLA of Cortalim constituency and others.
In the complaint, GE accuses SWR and RVNL of cutting down trees on private property without necessary permissions or adherence to legal processes. The document highlights a particularly troubling incident where trees were allegedly felled outside the designated area between chainage 99/1 and 80/1.
Elaborating on the situation, Rodrigues said, “The Forest Department, whose very role is to protect the forest cover, is in fact doing just the converse.”
The complaint filed by GE further states, “To our knowledge, whenever the Forest Department grants consent to legally fell trees, the trees to be cut are first enumerated and marked by the designated Forest official, which should be visible to any lay person. No such procedure has been noticed in this particular case.”
GE has called for immediate action, urging authorities to halt the illegal felling and impose penalties on the responsible parties and compensatory afforestation.