An incident of illegal hill cutting has come to light at Kokanifond, located under the jurisdiction of Morpirla Panchayat in Quepem. The unauthorized activity has reportedly caused damage to several cashew trees in the area, raising concerns among locals and environmentalists.
The Morpirla Panchayat was unaware of the incident until it was brought to their attention recently. Sarpanch Ashvini Gaonkar has assured the public that the panchayat will conduct an immediate site inspection and initiate necessary action against those involved.
“We are taking the matter seriously and will not tolerate any unauthorized destruction of the environment. Strict action will be taken against the violators,” Gaonkar stated.
Illegal hill cutting is a punishable offense under Goa’s land and environment laws, and residents have called for stronger monitoring to prevent such activities in the future.