Team Herald
MARGAO: Following the recent news published by O Heraldo regarding the grievances of Velsao locals who were in anguish over the felling of heritage trees, the Forest Department conducted an on-site inspection at Bellem ward of Pale village in the jurisdiction of the Velsao-Pale-Issorcim village panchayat.
The locals had earlier raised concerns over the tree-felling exercise undertaken as part of the double-tracking work, alleging that the railway sub-contractor, working on behalf of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), had allegedly illegally felled trees, including age-old medicinal trees in private properties.
On Friday, the inspection was carried out by the Range Forest Officer and his team, based on a formal written complaint lodged by Goencho Ekvott (GE). Present at the inspection were Orville Dourado Rodrigues, GE Founder, Velsao Sarpanch Maria Diana Gouveia, panch members Remedios Noronha and Francis Braganza as well as local villagers and RVNL representatives.
During the inspection, the complainants briefed the forest officials about the indiscriminate felling of trees, some of which held significant medicinal and cultural value to the local community. The villagers alleged that the contractor had gone beyond the demarcated areas and had violated the permissions granted for the tree-felling exercise.
Rodrigues raised concerns regarding the absence of tree numbers, which are required before commencing tree-felling operations.
In response to the Forest Range Officer’s inquiries, the RVNL subcontractor admitted that some trees in private property had been cut by mistake. The Forest Officer directed his team to document the illegal felling and informed the subcontractor that the case would be compounded. Furthermore, the contractor was ordered to halt all tree-felling activities until the matter is resolved. The Forest Officer also directed the RVNL contractor to provide written notification to the local panchayat, including approvals for any future tree-felling activity, before resuming operations.
Panch members Noronha and Braganza expressed their support for the local community, stressing that they were intent on protecting the village’s biodiversity for future generations. They also commended GE for raising awareness among the villagers.
It is to be noted that this is not the first time there have been complaints about tree felling by the locals, not just in Velsao but in surrounding areas too. This comes against the backdrop of a prolonged battled between the locals from the Mormugao coastal belt stretch and the railway authorities over the double tracking work with the former concerned about how their properties, health and
way of life is getting affected due to the railway expansion work, which
includes blocking of walking access to other parts of the village.