PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed Calangute MLA Michael Lobo to appear on Friday, April 12 before the Range Forest Officer (RFO), Panjim to record his statement related to tree felling at Siolim.
The directives came after the Forest Department informed the Court that Lobo had sought time after a summons was sent to him asking him to depose before Mangaldas P Devsekar, RFO, Panjim range.
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Referring to the affidavit filed by PWD assistant engineer and the Calangute MLA, the petitioners – Aaron Victor E Fernandes and two others – told the Court that stalemate continues as nobody is taking responsibility for the felling of ancient heritage trees at Siolim.
The division bench comprising Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice Valmiki SA Menezes stated that it will do its duty in case the investigation was inconclusive.
According to the Forest Department, the PWD sub-division II, works division XIII had submitted an application dated January 25, 2023 for issue of NOC/permission for cutting and trimming of branches of trees falling on the road widening area of MDR 10 on either side of the road from Sonarkhed towards Siolim-Chopdem bridge.
The Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) granted conditional permission in May 2023, clearly stating that ‘any jurisdictional issues or disputes arising out of felling of trees, it shall be the sole responsibility of the user agency i.e. PWD.
In his affidavit Lobo said that the sole purpose of impleading him as one of the respondents was on account of the additional affidavit filed by the petitioners dated March 27, 2024, enclosing two purported videos along with the transcript of the two videos. He said that the transcript attached in the petition was some third-party conversation between him and another person.
He further said that the said conversation was picked up out of context by the petitioners and the video clip, annexed was also a part of the conversation, which does not depict the complete picture.
Lobo stated that the nature and the tenor of the two videos in fact would indicate that he was present at the site on March 3, 2024 merely in the capacity as a local MLA, wherein the work of removing encroachment and road widening had been going on.
Stating that as per his knowledge there had been proposals to widen the road in order to facilitate the smooth movement of traffic and to reduce congestion on the said road, he had gone to the site on March 3, in his capacity as MLA, just to get an insight on what was happening at the site on the said date.
“I was in no manner concerned with the activities of cutting of trees being carried out by the contractor on the site and neither had I instructed any such person to carry out the activities of tree cutting. I say that I have never been involved in any activities of tree cutting being carried out at the Siolim Village,” Lobo said in his affidavit.
The next date for hearing is fixed for April 22.
