Team Herald
PORVORIM: Refusing to accept Centre’s report declaring over 90 villages in Goa as eco-sensitive zones, Poriem Legislator Deviya Rane insisted the government to avail Central government funds to develop forests and sanctuaries on lines with Haryana’s Aravali Safari Park proposal.
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Rane, while speaking during a discussion on demands for grants for Forests, said that government should look at promoting hinterland tourism. “We need to look at hinterland tourism rather than focussing only as beach destination. We should start developing the forests as Goa has the highest forest cover. We have wildlife sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries, a national park and zoo but it is not developed,” she said.
The MLA claimed that locals don’t visit the wildlife sanctuaries and neither parents take their children to the zoo owing to lack of requirements needed to upgrade these places. “By developing the forests we can promote hinterland tourism. Look at Haryana which is developing the world’s largest park. If we have a similar park, it will help our people. From a tourism point of view, we have to develop parks, sanctuaries, etc and create eco tourism cottages. We can develop one of these places into safari parks, for that the State needs to avail Central funds,” she said.
Rane further lamented that there’s no coexistence between locals and forest officers while suggesting that issues should be solved harmoniously. She demanded that forest officers should not harass the local people.
Expressing her views on the Centre’s report indicating over 90 villages in the eco sensitive zones, Rane said “Approximately 90 villages are under this zone. This is not acceptable. We can’t declare it without visiting these places and moreover, a plan of action.”
