PANJIM: The State government has notified 455.1081 hectares (45.51 lakh square metres) area in 60 survey numbers, primarily in the hinterland talukas of Goa as private forest area.
The Review Committee constituted under the Chief Conservator of Forests in June 2020, to review the private forest areas has so far reviewed 1,678 survey numbers out of 3,349 survey numbers, which were identified by the District level Forest Division Committees. As many as 16 site inspection teams were deployed in 156 villages to carry out site inspection of properties meeting private forest criteria of canopy density and area as per Forest Survey of India Map, in respect of the provisionally identified private forest by the said Committee.
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The survey numbers finalised by the Review Committee are located in the talukas of Pernem, Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem, Canacona, Salcete, Dharbandora, Sattari and Bardez.
After the survey, the Review Committee has finalised an area of 455.1081 hectare as private forest area in 60 qualifying survey numbers. “Any new survey number formed due to partition of any of the above survey numbers after November 27, 2012 shall be deemed to have been notified as private forest, if the identified area comes within said survey numbers,” the notification further adds.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) by an order dated January 7, 2021 had directed the government to undertake entire exercise of identification and demarcation of balance private forests and to complete the exercise within three months and that if any grievance survives, it will be open to the applicant to take further remedies in accordance with law and to upload the final report on the website for information of the concerned parties.
